Slummin' It
by Granad
Summary: 26 year old Echizen Ryoma is haunted a past that won't stay where it belongs. With it comes Atobe Keigo. The temptation to dream of a happy life is almost too much to resist. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis**

This revised story is dedicated to crassreine –thank you for betaring the first version

I took the liberty of mellowing Echizen out and giving Atobe a backbone. It works better this way.

Warnings: I have never been outside Africa and have no experience with four seasons; all I know about weather is that it rains or shines. Everything I write is based on a series of assumptions or what I've seen in anime, or on Google, or in movies or… I don't know how those compare to real life in Japan but just go with it. Read and review

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**Chapter 1: Banned**

Echizen groaned as he turned, the sun irritating his eyes as soon as he woke. The flimsy curtain that should have kept the light out was pushed back and the window wide open. The window was open because it'd been hot as hell the previous night. _Bloody curtains! _Trying to get back to sleep would be futile so he pushed back the covers and sat up. His room wasn't anything worth admiring- well, except for the cockroach crawling along the window sill. _I should kill that thing before it goes around having kids._

Soft knocking from the door pulled him from his contemplation of murder as he turned to look at the door thoughtfully. Only one of two people could possibly be at his door and one of them didn't knock. The wheels in his brain began to turn and he was soon extracting his legs from the sheets, gathering the clothes he'd thrown off the previous night, grabbing his shoes and creeping towards the window. The knocking was getting a louder but he paid it no mind. Ignoring the cockroach scurrying away, he climbed out onto the ledge and jumped one floor down, running for the alley as soon as his feet hit the ground. He'd had the police called on him by an idle onlooker for using that 'exit' once and didn't need a repeat of that disaster.

It took him less than five minutes to get his clothes and shoes on, comb his fingers through his hair and join the crowds on the streets of Tokyo. A few strange looks were thrown his way but he ignored them as he always did and maneuvered through the throng of people. His feet carried him towards his friend's place in the San-ya district – not that he considered him a friend.

When he got to the house, he wondered not for the first time what had possessed Jin to buy the place. It was a piece of shit; an old wooden English style house with a porch a little wider than the door and about four feet had one bedroom, a bathroom that doubled as a toilet, a sitting area and a kitchen. His place was a palace compared to this nightmare. At least his window didn't have cracks with duct tape running over them to hold the glass together. Weeds didn't grow out of the walls either. It didn't help that the neighbors'' houses looked much better in comparison; just the fact that their houses were painted was enough to make it look worse.

It was going to take a hell of a long time to fix this mess up._Might want to start with a paint job, _Echizen thought but Jin probably wouldn't appreciate the sentiment. Anything related to money already set him off and the suggestion that he buy a few cans of paint would be pushing it_.Then again, who am I to judge? Just run out on the landlord coz I don't have rent money_.Or breakfast money, which brought him back to why he was just standing there looking at the sad excuse for a house with no actual desire to go in.

The gurgling of his stomach was reason enough to walk up to the porch though he did so wearily. He fervently prayed that Jin's wife wasn't in though it was highly unlikely. He could do without her bullshit this morning. Bullshit seemed to be gunning for him though; the door was slammed open by a small woman of medium height, shoulder length red hair, grim set to her narrow lips and narrowed eyes that were normally big, brown and soulful. She'd grown up to be a real beauty and he didn't understand how Jin had ended up with her until she opened her mouth – then he got it. Who knew Sakuno Ryuuzaki would one day hate his guts? Or be married to Akutsu Jin? Or that he'd actually be 'friends' with Jin?

"What the fuck are you doing here?" she growled with so much animosity it was a wonder she wasn't on fire.

"Fuck off," he mumbled and pushed past her which caused her to stumble back. Echizen indifferently walked by, through the sitting area and into the kitchen where Jin was seated at a wooden table enjoying his breakfast of egg over rice. A nod of acknowledgement was sent his way before Jin turned back to his breakfast.

It was almost shocking how much Jin hadn't changed over the years. He was still short-tempered and violent except where his wife was concerned. His hair didn't stand up so much anymore and he wore his shirts like normal people because 'the wife' wouldn't have it any other way.

"Jin, I don't want this asshole in our house."

Echizen and Jin turned in tandem to regard Sakuno who was glaring at their visitor like he was shit on the sole of her shoe. Echizen shrugged her complaint off and scanned around the kitchen, trying to locate something he could munch on while Jin's gaze remained fixed on his wife.

"I said I would talk to him so just-"

"You said that last week and now he's here! I don't want him around my kids!" the red head screeched passionately, drawing Echizen away from his fruitless search.

"You don't have kids," he pointed out nonchalantly only to receive a pointed look from Jin. "Oh shit! Don't tell me you actually fuck her," he laughed. It was equally interesting and hilarious to think that they were going to have a bunch of kids together. _Wonder what they'll be like,_ he thought as he continued to laugh. It shouldn't have been a surprise when a fist was driven into his stomach leaving him hunched over, breathless and definitely _not_ laughing.

"Don't start shit here," Jin warned with just a hint of a plea in his voice.

"Are you going to talk to him or not?" Sakuno challenged, "because I can do it myself. I won't have a murd-"

"Sakuno!" Jin's bark cut her off. Silence reigned for a few minutes while the former delinquent finished his breakfast and took his dish to the sink.

Echizen headed outside to wait for his friend to be done with whatever before they could go to work. He was seated on the porch for a while and just when he thought he might have to go back inside and drag Jin's ass to work, the door opened and he stepped out.

"Gonna be late," Jin grumbled and walked past.

"Why exactly hadn't you talked to me?" Echizen questioned as he got up and followed his workmate.

"You've got nowhere else to go."

"I don't need your fucking pity!" Echizen growled and shoved his friend. Jin aggressively spun around ready for a fight. "I don't fucking need you so you can tell your wife that she doesn't have to worry about me coming over anymore." With that, he shouldered past and they walked the rest of the way to work without any words being said.

There was nothing to say.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis  
**

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**Chapter 2: Encounter**

It was a month after he'd been banned from Jin's house and money was tighter than it'd ever been. He'd somehow managed to pay the rent but had to minimize his water and electricity usage so that the landlord had no reason to push it even higher. So far, he'd managed wonderfully. Though taking a bath in the sink at work wasn't an easy feat, he managed to do so twice a day- every day. But he really needed a shower today – he needed it bad!

He'd got home from work early as he always did on Friday and decided to 'do the thing'. 'The thing' involved changing into his sacred clothes, a t-shirt, some shorts and old sneakers, grabbing his tennis bag and heading to the street courts. He never played when he got there but it still felt good to go.

He always sat on the bleachers and watched the kids playing, wishing it was him down there having all the fun. There were a few really good kids and very many bad ones. It made him laugh when he saw some that reminded him of his former teammates – well, some of them. He'd been sitting for almost half an hour when a kid approached him. He might have been 15 or 16, so confident that it bordered on cocky and he'd challenged him! Challenged Echizen Ryoma!

The kid hadn't actually challenged him. All he'd said was "Do you play old man?" and Echizen's eyes had narrowed on the kid. There was something about the boy that pissed him off and excited him at the same time so he'd offered to play the kid if he could free up the court. That was easy for the kid to pull off – probably some rich asshole.

The start of the match had been very embarrassing for him. This teenage boy with a humongous ego had had him running all over the court fetching balls like some insignificant ball boy and he'd had the balls to laugh. What made it worse was that he had a fan club that laughed whenever he did. It'd only been natural to lose his cool then. Losing his cool and shouting at kids should have been even more embarrassing only he didn't care.

"Shut the fuck up you noisy fucks!" Shouting that hadn't helped any because it just attracted the attention of everyone who wasn't already watching his humiliation. Then the kid he'd been playing had said something obnoxious and run a hand through his hair – _narcissistic bastard. _That thought had been strangely calming.

He hadn't bothered to go after the ball when the kid served the next time. It'd whizzed past and his face had bloomed into this confident smirk that felt so familiar. It'd been a while since he'd felt so alive. It was his turn to serve and he was going to make it good. He picked up three balls and pocketed two, bouncing the third before tossing it into the air. _I miss my cap._

It wasn't a perfect serve. For him, it was less than satisfactory but it did its job of shocking his opponent silent. It also lit a fire in the kid's eyes that gave him goose bumps- the good type. It was a short game and they never got to know the winner though Echizen didn't need a genius to tell him that it wouldn't have been him no matter how much he recovered; his stamina wasn't what it had once been.

And now he was just trying to wash away the bad aura that clung to him from the memories his encounter with someone from the past had brought up; the same person who had cut the match short with his damned nosiness.

00

Fuji Syusuke wasn't in a hurry to get home. Yuuta was out on a date and his mother was visiting his sister in Kyoto and wouldn't be back for a few days. He walked along a familiar road lost in thought. He missed Tokyo, missed his friends, and family especially Yuuta. He worked at a gallery in Osaka and even though he loved how peaceful it could get, most of the things he loved were here in Tokyo. _Even my memories of tennis are here,_ he thought as he came to a stop at the stairs leading up to the street courts. _How nostalgic_

As he climbed the steps, he experienced an intense longing to go back in time and treasure his years as a Seigaku regular before everything fell apart. He made it to the top of the stairs and shoved his hands into his pockets. The wind blew his hair about as he looked around. There were kids hanging around the court and two of them seemed to be playing. One was not so good it seemed – desperately running all over the place. The other seemed a little better than average – probably a rich kid who'd been coached from childhood.

The match didn't look interesting at all and just as he turned to head back, the losing kid screamed in what seemed like frustration for everyone to shut up. He was very rude about it too. And his voice… it was too deep to be a kid's, and curious, Fuji studied this man who was short enough to pass for a teenager with shoulder length black hair that hang over the sides of his face, and good tennis posture even if he was terrible at receiving the shots coming into his side of the court. It would have been easy to convince himself that this was Echizen Ryoma if not for the last characteristic –Echizen went after every ball and almost always returned it. Even so, when he served and the ball twisted as it spun directly for the opponent's face, he began to wish that it was his former underclassman.

_No, Echizen's twist serve was more refined. _But all doubt was wiped away when the man-boy smirked and shouted the three words Echizen always taunted his opponents with. _Mada mada dane_

"Echizen!" Fuji shouted automatically. The man froze and turned his way confirming his suspicions. It had been so long; nine years and he'd come upon him like this. "Echizen!" he repeated when the man walked off the court and picked up his bag, jamming his racquet into it as he walked. Fuji was forced to run after the man his former teammate who was disappearing around the bleachers.

"Echizen wait," he pleaded as he caught up on a path that meandered back to the road he'd walked along to get to the courts. He reached out to grab the arm of the retreating man but missed as the other spun around and glared at him.

"Leave me alone Fuji-sempai."

"Ahhhh, still calling me sempai," Fuji joked as he took in Echizen's features. There wasn't any baby fat on him and though he was short, he looked to have some muscle tone. "You're still such a chibi," he smiled and tried to ruffle the black locks only to have his hand slapped away.

"What do you want?" the younger man yelled.

"To greet you- haven't seen you in so long and suddenly you were just there," Fuji smiled wistfully. "You've changed… a lot."

"Leave me alone."

He sadly watched as his former teammate walked away.


	3. Chapter 3

******Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis**

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**Chapter 3: A changed man**

Echizen woke with a start. It was dark out and he didn't think he'd be getting back to sleep any time soon. He lay on his futon for a while then disgustedly threw off the covers and got dressed. He brushed his teeth, pulled on some jeans and a shirt and headed up to the roof. He sat on the floor east and tried to clear his mind. It wasn't easy. He hated seeing people from Seigaku, especially his former teammates; they triggered dreams that messed with his sleep and left him thinking about someone he had no business thinking about. Watching the sun rise always calmed him down. He lay back and stared at the sky until it began to turn lighter -then he got up left for his job.

0

On the other side of town, Atobe stood over his bed knotting a tie and considering giving in to his girlfriend's subtle persuasion to get back into bed. His blue eyes shone with amusement and the stirrings of lust when she stretched seductively, exposing long legs and the tops of her breasts. It was too bad that he had an important meeting to attend and repeating his morning routine would take too much time.

"Sorry Kaya but I really have to go," Atobe apologized and laughed when she pouted prettily. "I'll play with you properly when I get back."

"I can hardly wait," she teased.

He straightened his tie and placed a kiss on her forehead. With one last satisfied look into the mirror, he took his suit jacket and shrugged it on before leaving the bedroom.

He headed straight for the study where he checked the contents of his briefcase before snapping it closed. His eyes were drawn to the framed photograph on his desk. He picked it up and smiled fondly before shaking his head and putting it down. He turned to the day ahead and lifted the briefcase, leaving the room and shutting the door.

"Working on the weekend is so tiresome," he complained as he made his way to the kitchen.

"Don't complain when you're the one who set up the meeting for this morning," his PA chastised from the sofa which Atobe was sure had been empty not five minutes earlier.

"What are you doing here?" he asked suspiciously. "You don't work on weekends."

"Neither do you," the blue haired man retorted and adjusted his glasses. "But you just had to have a good excuse to miss the wedding."

"Shut up Yuushi."

He placed the briefcase on the counter of the kitchen island and proceeded to prepare a pot of tea. "Should I make you something?" he asked his friend and self-appointed PA.

"I ate before I came, thanks."

"So why did you come anyway?" he grumbled halfheartedly though he already knew why. "And before you answer, you should know that no amount of convincing is making me attend that wedding."

"I thought Tezuka was a good friend," Oshitari Yuushi accused as he left his place on the sofa to join Atobe.

"He is a friend and while I would ordinarily attend a friend's wedding, I would also attempt to avoid situations where I awkwardly stand around with gloomy people that I used to know, pretending to care what is happening in their little lives."

"That is so cruel Keigo." Oshitari sat on one of the kitchen stools. "You never know – something interesting might happen."

"Then I guess it's a good thing you'll be there to see this 'interesting' thing," Atobe replied sarcastically. "Have fun."

"What if he's there?"

"He won't be."

"But what if he is?" Oshitari insisted.

"Then you should think I'm making the right decision in not going." Atobe spoke with a finality that told his friend he didn't want to continue discussing the present topic. "How did you get in?"

"I used my key," Oshitari smiled.

"What key?"

000

Fuji arrived at the Tezuka residence thirty minutes after the wedding celebration began and was ushered to the beautiful gardens where guests milled about or stood conversing in small groups. He couldn't catch sight of the bride or groom. He found himself searching a head of red hair and it did not take him long to locate it underneath a cherry tree on the other side of the gardens. He hurried over to the redhead, bumping into a few people in his haste and leaving mumbled apologies in his wake.

A few feet away from his target and one of his former teammates noticed him and pointed him out to the rest who stopped talking and turned around. There were smiles among the group but only one broke away and launched himself into his arms with a cry of his name.

"Eiji is still so spirited," Fuji chuckled as he hugged his friend back.

"Did you miss me Fujiko?" Eiji asked excitedly and Fuji laughed. _I really missed you. _"I've missed you," Eiji cried pulling back and wrapping his arm around Fuji's shoulders, tugging him towards their former teammates.

Oishi was the first to approach and envelop him in a hug, then Takashi. The other two just nodded in acknowledgement.

"It's been too long Fuji," Oishi complained. "How is Osaka?" "Is the weather okay?" "Do you eat well?" "Do you like it?"

"Oishi -" Fuji broke in and laughed at how he hadn't changed. "Is this an interrogation?"

"Oishi stop hogging Fuji!" Eiji wailed and draped himself over the recently arrived genius. He just smiled at his friend's antics and studied the others. Kaidoh had changed... a lot; he gave off 'Tezuka' vibes – maybe being team captain hadn't been such a good idea. Takashi still seemed so shy with that little smile. Fuji was tempted to look for a racquet just so he could see Taka's transformation into the epitome of burning youth.

"How is the shop Taka-san?" he asked after exchanging pleasantries. He planned on visiting and having some wasabi sushi before he left for Osaka. They needed to talk – Taka looked tired. And Inui, well he was the same old data freak apparently. He was explaining why the probability of Eiji and Oishi winning at Wimbledon was lower than 60%.

"Inui is being mean," Eiji cried, hugging Fuji's shoulders. "Our chances of winning are 100%."

"Don't jinx us," Oishi said looking troubled.

"But we got to the quarter finals in the French Open," Eiji told his partner confidently. "It was so frustrating –I want to win." Fuji laughed at his friend's enthusiasm and gave his arm an encouraging squeeze. Eiji and Oishi had been the only ones to go pro from their team – Kaidoh had become a teacher and Inui a researcher. What had happened to Tezuka had been unfortunate for they had no doubt he would have been one of the best tennis players in the world. He was now a bank manager – not a bad job but not exciting either. _Most unfortunate of all was Momo though- but this is a wedding so… happy thoughts._

They chatted about their lives for a while, how Fuji was the only one without a girlfriend but how everyone had still somehow come alone. They talked about meeting at the next person's wedding and all agreed that Takashi should be next in line. They eventually did talk about tennis and then Eiji brought up a taboo topic.

"Fuji," Eiji started excitedly. "I think we should all go visit Echizen before we have to go back – since everyone is ... here." He finished on a low tone seeing how everyone's faces fell or became grim. Fuji tried to put on a smile but it didn't feel real and the look on Eiji's face told him it didn't look real either. "What's wrong Fuji?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Fuji murmured somberly.

"But Fuji, it's been a really long time and I'm sure he misses us and wants to see us too," he argued enthusiastically.

"Eiji," Fuji persuaded. "Please -"

"I want to see Ochibi!"

"I saw him," he admitted with a sad smile, finally getting the redhead's attention. "He just wants to be left alone." He saw a pained expression flicker across Kaidoh's face and interpreted it as betrayal. "He was playing some kid at the street courts when I was passing by," he added to allay their suspicions.

"Is he any better?" a voice came from behind Fuji, startling him. He rotated his head to find out who would not only eavesdrop so shamelessly but also interrupt. He wasn't very surprised to see that it was a blue haired man who raised his eyebrows behind his bangs. "So?"

000

It was dark and the streets were almost completely deserted. Most people were in bars and clubs and neither of those could be found on his street. Some were at home in their beds but those wouldn't ordinarily be found on the streets. There was however, a convenience store a few blocks away which is where he was headed. He dragged his feet and thought about how he would die of hunger if he spent the money he'd stashed in his pocket but the present seemed so much more important.

It had become habit for him to go to bed as soon as he got home so he wouldn't feel the hunger but between the bad dreams and worrying about money, he wasn't making any progress with his plan. He hadn't been to Jin's since the banning and so couldn't supplement his meager diet with Sakuno's cooking. _Me and my big mouth – not that it's entirely my fault; she's such a bitch. _He sighed dejectedly. _Still cooks good food though_

In his daydream, he didn't realize he had wandered off the sidewalk until the blaring of a car horn drew him back to reality. He jumped back onto the curb as the car swerved to miss him and skidded to a stop. The front door of the sleek black car opened and the driver stepped out looking in his direction. For a moment Echizen thought he was going to be cussed outfor being in the road and almost ruining a very expensive car with his blood which would make him confrontational. Fighting on an empty stomach took so much energy too.

That was the least of his worries though because he recognized the person who was approaching him and asking if he was okay. Even without looking at his face, he'd know that man by just the way his brown hair fell about his head. He should have nodded and walked away but he watched the suit clad man advance, rooted to the spot and praying it was too dark to be recognized.

"Are you okay?" the man asked again, his tone slightly irritated now. "Did you hit your head or are you dumb?"

_This fucking asshole has never changed. _"I'm fine so fuck off!" he yelled which stopped the man's advance. Now, he just looked at him quizzically.

"Echizen?"

"Sorry, wrong person – fuck off."

"That's you Echizen, isn't it?" the man asked again and took a few steps closer.

"I just said it wasn't didn't I?" he growled and prepared to run back to his apartment when his stomach gurgled loudly, reminding him of the reason he was out so late.

"Echizen"

"Shit! Will you stop repeating my fucking name! You're pissing me off!" _What's wrong with everyone all of a sudden?_

"I can feed you," the man offered.

Echizen watched him suspiciously for a minute. He was so hungry – it bordered on starving. And he wouldn't have to spend the last of his money. "Fine," he capitulated headed for the passenger side of the car. It was warm and comfy inside but cars weren't his thing. "What can you cook?" he asked when he was joined by the driver.

"I can make bacon, eggs and toast."

"I don't want breakfast Atobe!"

"I can also order out."

"You're such a spoiled bastard."

"No," Atobe countered. "I'm just rich."

0

Atobe opened the door to his apartment and led the way in. He turned on the lights in the foyer and headed through the gallery straight to the kitchen, pointing out the other rooms along the way. He smirked when they got to the kitchen and the other man whistled. "Nice, isn't it?" he boasted and opened the fridge.

"No actually," Echizen replied offhand, "I'm just amazed at all the useless shit you have."

"Like what?" he asked as he closed the fridge, wine bottle in hand and turned to his guest who had made himself comfortable on one of the stools at the island in the middle of the room.

"That thing over there," the dark haired man pointed to the coffee maker, "and that… and that… - the stove is especially useless since you can't cook."

"The coffee maker is not useless," Atobe argued, "and I will have you know that everything in this room has been used at least once." He located a corkscrew in one of the drawers and popped the cork. He placed the bottle on the island and retrieved two wine glasses from the cabinet in the corner only to turn and find the bottle at Echizen's lips.

"What are you doing?" he asked indignantly and waved the glasses agitatedly.

"I'm hungry," Echizen whined and went back to drinking from the bottle. Atobe placed the glasses on the island and prepared to give his guest a piece of his mind but was interrupted by the doorbell. With a frustrated huff, he went back the way they had come and paid for the food. He returned to the kitchen to find a plate laid out and a fork ready in his guest's hand.

"Where is my plate?"

"It's my food and I don't share," Echizen explained and pulled the packages to his other side as soon as they were set down. A resigned sigh on his lips, Atobe turned back to the fridge and got a bowl of strawberries and settled opposite his guest who had _oh so generously_ poured him a glass of wine but was still hogging the bottle.

"Where's the girlfriend then?" Echizen asked conversationally.

"Please don't speak with food in your mouth." Atobe turned his head the other way and had a sip of wine.

"Model huh?" the dark haired man continued regardless. "Can she cook?"

"What?" he asked surprised

"Can she cook?" Echizen repeated.

"Why?"

"Coz a woman who can't cook is just pathetic."

"She has other talents," he defended and regretted it when the other man smirked triumphantly.

"Mmmnn… so she can't cook then," Echizen teased. "The fucking can't be great if you brought me here."

Atobe sat shocked for a few beats his eyes wide and his heart conflicted. "I didn't bring you here to sleep with you!" he finally shouted and slammed his hands on the island and pushing himself up.

"Is that your story?" the younger man sneered. "That you don't want to do things to me after I've eaten your food and drank your wine – that you're doing this out of the goodness of your fucking heart?" They stared each other down for over a minute until Echizen grabbed the bottle and threw it at Atobe. "You fucking expect me to believe that!"

"I didn't bring you here to sleep with you," Atobe repeated as evenly as he could. "Also, if that bottle had hit me, I might have died so could you please not throw anything else at me."

It must have sounded like a challenge because Echizen picked up the empty glass and threw it right at his face. A flick of his wrist was all it took to deflect its trajectory and it shattered in a corner of the room, ignored by the pair. "We should have a match sometime," the suddenly unpredictable man smiled and reached for the other glass.

"I love this suit – please do not throw that," Atobe pleaded wearily. He was surprised when Echizen just drained the glass and put it back down. "You finished my wine," he commented as he got another bottle from the fridge, careful to miss the glass and liquid on the floor. He sat down and ignored the raised eyebrows his guest raised at the new bottle.

"This one's mine – you're not getting any."

"Someone's being childish," his guest complained and reached for the glass between them.

"I don't drink out of a bottle," Atobe smirked and stole his glass back. He repeated the process of uncorking the bottle and pouring a full glass under the watchful gaze of his guest who'd returned to his meal. It was only when he was on the second glass that he relented and pushed the bottle to the other side.

"You're staring," Echizen mumbled as he took the last bite of food.

"I'm only making sure that objects don't come flying my way," he retorted.

"I am as grown up as they come –what were you doing on my side of town?"

A cough from the kitchen entrance drew their attention and effectively stopped their banter. The woman who stood there was tall, thin, beautiful and half-naked. The important half was covered by one of his shirts and her dark curls were more tussled than usual which meant she'd been in bed – probably asleep.

"Kaya," Atobe started and his eyes darted to Echizen who was giving his girlfriend the eye, accompanied by a creepy smile. _I have a bad feeling about this._ "Kaya," he repeated which focused her attention on him. "This is Echizen Ryoma – a friend who just dropped by for dinner."

"_Friend_?" she challenged.

"Friend?" Echizen parroted. "That's news to me."

"Echizen shut up," he hissed at the man who was obviously taking pleasure in his discomfort before addressing his girlfriend. "Despite what he says, he is a friend – not a good one but a friend all the same."

"Really," she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and fixing the most disbelieving look on her face. "Just a friend?"

"Yes," Atobe sighed. "Is that my shirt?"

"Of course it's your shirt," Echizen scoffed. "Stop trying to change the subject."

"You are not helping," Atobe muttered and poured another glass of wine, gulping it down and then pouring another. If Echizen made another accusation about his intentions when he asked him over, Kaya would lose her mind and he could do without the headache. He suddenly wished he was young enough to get drunk on a few glasses of wine.

"Keigo, what is he doing here?" she asked with a dismissive flip of her hand in Echizen's direction.

"The truth is he-"

"I was asking Keigo and not you," Kaya cut off the disaster that would have spilled out of Echizen's mouth.

"As I said before, he dropped by for dinner."

"Why?" she questioned with more volume

"I was hungry," Echizen butted in and pulled the bowl of half eaten strawberries over. Atobe would have thought he'd be too full after all he'd eaten but was proved wrong when one disappeared between dark lips.

"Why is he here?" Kaya shrieked and he sighed. _This is going to be a long night. _

"You should probably leave," Atobe nodded towards his guest who remained glued to his seat chewing noisily. "Echizen please"

"She doesn't live here," Echizen reasoned, "so I have as much right to remain as she does."

"She's my girlfriend."

"And I am your friend – you just said so."

"I'm calling the police," Kaya threatened and left the room.

"Why are you doing this?" Atobe asked Echizen tiredly.

"I'm enjoying myself," Echizen smiled annoyingly. "And since she doesn't think we're 'just friends', it makes me wonder if she knows that you cheat on her… with guys."

"I do not cheat on her!" Atobe exploded and flung himself away from his seat, breathing heavily.

"Then why were you on that side of town?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" the brunet asked in confusion

"Picking up someone for some fun maybe," the younger man shrugged, "I don't know what rocks your boat but there's a lot of shit that happens there."

"I wasn't there to pick up a whore or whatever else it is you are suggesting," he denied angrily

"Okay okay jeez -then what was she talking about?"

"How would I know?" he sighed

"How would you know?" Kaya's voice came before she appeared at the kitchen entrance again. "Do you expect me to believe you do not know why I am angry right now?"

"I have no idea," he confirmed as a feeling of dread settled over him.

"Is that so?" She started backing away –in the direction of the study directly across from the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" he asked and she turned to dash away but he'd been a sportsman a long time and caught up before she was even halfway there.

"I asked you not to go in there," Atobe growled, the stirrings of anger tightening his gut. "I asked you – why would you violate my trust like that?"

"Coz she's a chic?" Echizen suggested from just behind them.

"Shut up!" he snapped without turning around. "Why would you-"

"What kind of woman wouldn't check – you think I'm dumb enough to marry a man who denies me access to some rooms in his house?" Kaya jeered. "And I could overlook it as long as I knew you were not seeing him – you didn't even bother to hide the damned thing."

Atobe felt more angry than guilty. "Marry you?" he laughed cruelly.

"Now that's just mean," Echizen commented but didn't draw the couple's attention.

A single tear made its way down Kaya's cheek and she scrubbed it away violently. "Maybe I don't want to be married to a man who cheats on me while I'm in his bed!"

"I have never cheated on you," he growled warningly

"What do you call it when you go to your study every morning? Kissing and fondling a stupid picture so religiously," Kaya scoffed at him. "Then actually bringing him over for dinner as I sleep in your bed – what would you call that?"

"I don't fondle that picture," he argued back, offended at the idea that he'd do something so pathetic.

"I don't really care what you do to the damned thing!" his girlfriend screamed. "What hurts most," she went on in a more controlled tone, "is that you care more about some murderer than you do your girlfriend."

There was absolute silence for almost a minute then an ominous chuckle from behind him. Atobe turned around just as a blur shot past and turned back in time to see his recently reacquainted 5ft 5" friend chocking the life out of his 6ft 2" girlfriend. It would have been comical if it was a tv-show –which it wasn't. He was gripping and pulling Echizen's hands away before he was aware that he'd moved.

As the hands in his released their hold, Kaya started coughing and wheezing to get air into her body. She clasped her hands around her throat and stared at Echizen fearfully, taking a few steps back from them both.

"Stop this," Atobe whispered his plea into the shorter man's ear. "They can't take you away from me again." Echizen who had been struggling to get his hands on the model went still and Atobe sighed in relief which was a moment too soon because the violently angry man slammed an elbow into his jaw as soon as he relaxed his grip.

Echizen spun around and glared at him murderously.

"Don't fucking touch me!"

"Echizen," he pleaded which made the other man pause.

"Fuck you."

Echizen held his gaze with hateful amber eyes even as Kaya begun to sob in the background. Without another word, he broke eye contact and walked out. The slamming of the front door told him it was just the two of them and he turned to Kaya who was giving him a look of betrayal.

"You didn't actually call the police, did you?"

"Fuck you Atobe!"


	4. Chapter 4

******Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Choices**

"What happened to you?" Oshitari asked as soon as Atobe stepped into his office Monday morning. The impeccably dressed Projects manager sighed and shielded his face with the report he snatched from his PA.

Circling around his desk and sinking into his chair, he pretended he didn't notice his friend studying him. The chair was really nice, he'd ordered from Italy and insisted the company pay for it as compensation for the lousy view. Seriously, who wanted an office where all you could see out the windows was a seaweed-colored building made worse by the fact that you could look into the offices directly opposite. It got worse; the office opposite his was occupied by a forty-something portly man who wore vomit-worthy suits and ironically had a very beautiful secretary – she probably wasn't that good looking up close though.

"Tezuka's wedding was interesting," Oshitari informed him after four failed attempts to get a confession about the bruise he was sporting on his jaw.

"I highly doubt that."

"It was actually; Fuji told a fascinating story." Atobe mumbled some unintelligible reply and swiveled his chair so he faced the window that didn't have a view. "Apparently he saw Echizen playing tennis at the street courts and it was appalling."

"It's been 9 years, I wouldn't be surprised if he lost a few sets to a kid," he defended.

"I didn't say it was a kid," Oshitari countered.

"Wasn't it?" he asked pointedly but his friend left his office without answering. He spent a few minutes guessing how groveling he still had to do before Kaya 'forgave' him and things went back to normal though he guessed that wasn't ever going to happen.

"You have a meeting with Tanaka in 15 minutes," Oshitari said with a sadistic smile from the door which he hadn't heard opening. Atobe groaned and considered going back home but then he'd just get an annoying call from his father. _I know I shouldn't have said he was ugly._ What he'd actually said was 'some people are so unfortunate – all they have going for them is their money'. _Not smart at all_

000

_Three weeks._ That's how long it took to woo Kaya back into his good books and even then she obviously still held a grudge. He didn't want to ever get her that angry again – mocking her and hugging his middle school crush was a no-no. All the while she'd been lecturing him, he'd been thinking _did I actually hug him? _From what he remembered he'd been saving her from being choked to death one minute and then the next, his jaw throbbing.

Two scarves, a bracelet, five pairs of earrings, seventeen bouquets of flowers and the promise of a holiday in Paris had brought their relationship back from the garbage dump where she'd relegated it; on condition that he get rid of the picture. He'd reluctantly agreed to her terms; the picture lay in a locked drawer in his office. It made it difficult to get any work done but he couldn't get himself to actually throw it away.

What he was wondering at that precise moment was whether she'd said anything about the person in the picture because there he sat, on his sofa, eating a sandwich made in his kitchen and drinking his juice. There was not a single sign of remorse on the face that stared back, half of it moving as Echizen chewed.

"How did you get in?" he asked and threw his keys onto the low table near the sofa.

"Guy downstairs let me in," Echizen supplied with his mouth still full. "He remembered me from the other night and said I could wait inside your apartment." He shoved the rest of the snack into his mouth and headed to the kitchen leaving crumbs in the carpet. "I think he's done it before – maybe those guys you cheat on the model with."

"She's called Kaya and I do not cheat on her," Atobe growled. "Why does Kami-sama hate me?" he whined and fell into the loveseat adjacent to the sofa.

"Whatever you say," Echizen dismissed

"Why are you here?" he sighed and undid the button on his jacket, splaying it open.

"Why do you wear that shit when it's so hot?"

"I look good in it"

"Should have known," Echizen mumbled and took the plate and glass and set them on the island. "So," he pointed to the bag resting against the side of the sofa, "let's go play some tennis; it's been a while."

"I know," Atobe murmured but either Echizen had very good hearing or he'd said it louder than he'd intended.

"The fuck you say?"

"Nothing – I'll go change"

"No, I want to know what the fuck you said." Amber eyes were boring into his blue and he wished he'd kept his mouth shut. "Are you a stalker or something?"

"Oshitari attended Tezuka's wedding and heard Fuji say something about you playing at the street courts and for some reason thought I'd be interested." Atobe returned the angry stare calmly. "Do not overestimate your worth."

"I know exactly what I'm worth to you," Echizen growled and stalked over to his bag, manhandling it onto his back, almost hitting Atobe on his way out. "Forget the game"

"Don't be childish," he called out but his only answer was the slamming of the door.

000

He sat in his Mercedes C300 and listened to classical music in an attempt to calm himself enough to go into the building in front of which he was parked. _I didn't intend to offend him – just speaking the truth so why do I have to apologize? _All the arguments in the world weren't going to stop him from doing it though. Taking a deep breath, he turned off the car radio and exited the car. His 3 piece suit was out of place in the middle class neighborhood but he'd driven over straight from the office. It was lucky that it was a black one rather than his preferred shades of grey not that he believed that would be enough to make him look inconspicuous.

He wasn't even inside the building yet and heads were turning in his direction. Two school girls walked past and giggled just as he dashed inside. His obsession with Echizen came in handy since he didn't need to ask anyone for his apartment number. _This place smells funny._ Two sets of stairs and a few meters brought him to room 2D.

Atobe knocked and waited, counting out the seconds as they ticked by. He knocked a little louder after twenty seconds and was surprised when the next door opened instead and a bearded head peered at him.

"Hey," the man whispered. "Hey, you want to come in my apartment?" he continued but was thoroughly ignored by Atobe who now pounded on Echizen's door continuously until it clicked open and slammed shut.

"Let me in Echizen - I'm here to grovel so you might as well hear it before you slam the door," he enticed. "It's going to be really good and you'll regret not seeing it."

The door was pulled open and he thought he caught a slight tilt to Echizen's lips but it was gone in a blink. The door was left ajar as the other man led the way into the one room apartment less than half the size of his living room. The room was bare except for a futon against one wall, a pile of clothes and two pairs of shoes in one corner, and a door leading to what he assumed was a bathroom in the other. There wasn't a single decoration on the walls if you didn't consider the red and white tennis bag hanging off a hook above the futon.

"You don't have to compliment the room –all that etiquette stuff is just bullshit," Echizen mumbled from over at the windows, his eyes fixed on the road outside.

"You could put up a picture at the least."

"Say what you came to say and get out."

"Alright" Atobe swallowed uncomfortably. "I did not mean to offend you. I was not in the best of moods for various reasons and I put my foot in my mouth." He took a deep breath and said what had brought him. "It means everything to me –your friendship."

"How bad was it?"

"What?"

Echizen finally turned from the window wearing an irritated scowl. "How bad was my tennis – he told you, didn't he?"

"Appalling," Atobe smirked in amusement but the smirk dropped off his face when amber eyes narrowed threateningly. "It's to be expected –it's been a while after all."

"I'm hungry," Echizen announced suddenly. "You can buy me lunch and then we'll go see how appalling it is."

"It's five thirty," Atobe reminded uselessly and watched his former rival sift through the pile of clothes and pick a faded blue t-shirt. His eyes automatically zeroed in on the flesh being exposed as Echizen took off the shirt he had on and replaced it with the one he'd just picked.

"I want sushi," Echizen muffled through the fabric of the t-shirt as he turned. Atobe's eyes followed the jagged scar running from nipple to belly button and something twisted in his chest. The t-shirt was jerked down so his eyes trailed upwards to find an angry glare directed at him.

"Sorry"

"Whatever," the younger man scoffed, got the bag from the hook and ushered him out into the hall. They walked out of the building in silence, attracting a few stares as they got into the car and drove off.

"You grew your hair," Atobe commented as he navigated traffic. "To cover the scars I presume?"

"They freaked my mom out," Echizen admitted.

"Where is she?"

"America –with my dad"

"Can I see?" He didn't expect the other man to actually show them to him and he was right. Echizen turned away from him and watched the other cars. They finally got to Atobe's favorite sushi bar and as he reached for the door handle a tug at his jacket made him pause.

Echizen had turned his whole body towards the driver's seat but his head was rotated further so the whole left side of his face was presented to Atobe. The black tresses were pulled away and he got his first view of the scars he'd last seen almost six years earlier. One short scar was really close to the hairline but the one that broke his heart was the one that run from ear to jaw; it was a thin line that increased in size as it got closer to the ear and then webbed out suddenly almost like many stars imposed over each other. Atobe had assumed they would pale but they were just as pink and fresh looking as ever.

"It's not so bad," he reassured and raised his hand to feel along them but stopped when Echizen shifted away.

"Don't touch"

"Sorry"

"I'm hungry"

"Alright –this place has the best sushi in Tokyo"

"After I eat, I will make you regret laughing at me," Echizen leered gleefully and let himself out of the car.

0

Echizen lay awake and agitated in bed that night; he'd completely humiliated himself on the courts. It was so terrible –he couldn't believe he was that bad. His thigh had been cramping before they'd been on the court for thirty minutes and Atobe had been going easy on him. _It hurts! _He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed the heels of his hands into the sockets to keep tears from falling.

An angry snarl left his lips as he threw the covers off and pulled his sneakers to him. He pulled them on and was out of the apartment before he could change his mind.

Less than an hour later Echizen was back on his bed, panting from lack of air and sobs that racked his body. His sobbing was broken by the occasional laugh until he was laughing more than he was crying though tears still streamed down his cheeks. _I can still cry like this,_ he thought. _No one to cling to this time_

Tennis was all he had and he had to make it so it was all he'd ever need; people could not always be trusted –not even Atobe.

000

Atobe tapped the arm of his chair and stared out of his office window unseeingly. He'd given in to temptation and hired a PI to find out why he couldn't reach Echizen. The report lay on his desk and he berated himself for having had to investigate to know what the other man would be doing. After the humiliating defeat at the street courts, Echizen had practically vanished; Atobe could not locate him at his apartment when he'd passed by. He'd even driven by the street courts a few times but hadn't had any luck in locating the other man.

And when the investigator found him, he was at another court –one that hadn't been used in a while from the pictures. _Pictures of Echizen… _The thought planted the desire to look at the pictures again and swiveled his chair around only to be unpleasantly shocked by Oshitari's calculating gaze from across the desk.

Deep blue eyes regarded him, assessing his reaction, and then lowered to the folder that lay open on his desk. "He's obviously improved," his PA commented and slid his eyes back to his friend. "Though I'm more interested in why you have those."

"Just curious," he deflected and carefully closed the folder.

"Can I have a look?" Oshitari asked with a cunning smile, his eyes fixed on the hand that still rested on the folder. "It's not a problem is it?"

Atobe moved the folder to a drawer and met his friend's challenging stare head-on. "What are you doing Yuushi?"

"I'm amazed at how callous you can be," the bespectacled man intoned. "You know what the last four months have been like –for both your family and the company but you're turning a blind eye to it all."

"I find nothing disgraceful about my behavior and I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't speak to me like I was five years old," Atobe replied amiably.

"You would disrespect your mother like that?" Oshitari snarled angrily. "Everything she did to make that dinner fiasco go away –you will dismiss it for someone who threw you away over seven years ago?"

"I will forgive you this once for speaking out of turn about things you do not know," Atobe cautioned with a hint of anger in his tone. "Do not meddle where you have no business doing so."

They had another staring match which ended when the blue haired PA nodded and started to leave the office.

"Yuushi," he called out and smiled apologetically, "he hasn't had it as easy as I have."

"It's not your responsibility to take care of him"

000

He dimmed the lights and headed over to the bay windows that looked out into the apartment complex's compounds but he didn't see any of it. A smile played on his lips as he waited for his girlfriend to arrive. Their relationship hadn't been too good in the last few months but he was more than ready to make up for it now.

He wore a black turtleneck and grey slacks, his feet bare and anticipated the night ahead. He was going to remind Kaya of the third reason she put up with him when he was being an ass. The sound of the door opening and closing had him turning around but it was a while before she came through the gallery.

"Is something wrong?" he asked and approached her. "Kaya?"

"Don't be nice if you're breaking up with me," she surprised him. "You can't d-"

Atobe cut her off by locking his lips to hers and then melding their bodies together. His left hand cradled her head and his right went around her waist, pulling her body as closer. He broke the kiss and let out a heartfelt moan. "I've missed you."

"I've been here," she replied with a pained chuckle. "I've been here the whole time."

"I know," he assured and hugged her to his body. "I'm going to be a better boyfriend." He held her away and peered at her down turned face. "I'll be so great you will wonder what you did to deserve me" There was no response forthcoming. "I will make it-"

"Alright, I get it –shut up," Kaya laughed and leaned in for another kiss which he granted. It was shorter and sweeter than the last one. "I take it the dinner is part of your great-boyfriend-plan?"

"An important part," he whispered as he turned her to look at the table he'd had setup specifically for the occasion. "You see," he went on and nuzzled her neck, "I have a surprise for you."

A throaty laugh left Kaya's lips as she broke away from him and turned to look at him disbelievingly. "I should have guessed –lunch with your parents again?"

"I couldn't say no," Atobe admitted. "She's still mad about the dinner with Echizen."

"She should be."

"I've explained over and over but she will not listen," he went on. "Please come with me –I cannot go through a whole meal with my parents right now."

"I will do it because I love you," she relented, "not because of this dinner. And if she begins to insult me however subtly, we will leave immediately."

"Of course," Atobe smiled winningly. "I ordered your favorite –Italian."

"It would have been more romantic if you had pretended you cooked it yourself," Kaya mumbled and allowed herself to be led to the table. Atobe helped her into her seat and was preparing to take his across from her when a familiar whistle drew his attention to the sitting room entrance.

"Echizen," he cried in exasperation. "What are you doing here and how did you get in?"

"The door was open," the uninvited guest replied pointing down the hall. "And I came to eat so don't mind me –I'll just be in the kitchen." With that Echizen proceeded to the kitchen like it was normal to barge into people's apartments, ruin their dates and raid their fridges.

Atobe sat down, placed his elbows on the table top and rested his head on his intertwined fingers. A deep sigh from his girlfriend did not rouse him from his position. Another sigh followed and when he gave no response, a piece of cutlery connected with his head. This had him raising his head to look at Kaya's sulking visage.

"Get rid of him," she whispered angrily. "I knew this whole 'dinner' was too good to be true. He's probably the reason you were in such a good mood now that I think about it."

"I did not know he would be coming here which is to be expected since this is the first time I have seen him in four months."

"You expect me to believe that this is a coincidence?"

"Yes," he whispered back forcefully. "What kind of guy sets up a date knowing it's going to be interrupted?"

"I guess you're right," she conceded. "You can forget about sex tonight though –I'm mad at you."

"You cannot be serious," he complained. "I didn't know he would be coming."

"Well now he's here and if he's not leaving then I am," Kaya threatened.

Atobe excused himself graciously and joined Echizen in the kitchen. He might not be sleeping with his girlfriend as he'd hoped but if he could keep her from backing out from lunch with his parents, he'd do anything. It's not like he could take Echizen if she changed her mind.

"Why are you doing this to me?" he moaned when he caught sight of the bowl heaped with fruit.

"Don't be mean," Echizen chided and took a bite out of an apple, "you can afford to feed me once in a while though I don't understand why your fridge has no food –like leftovers or something."

"I do not eat leftovers so there is no reason for them to infest my fridge"

"Just like a spoilt kid," the dark haired man marveled. "What am I supposed to eat though?"

"Go to a restaurant," he advised. "Just leave before my girlfriend gets any madder."

"Ahh… you're trying to get laid tonight," Echizen laughed and took another bite.

"You already screwed that up," he mumbled and slumped against the kitchen island in defeat. "Can't you please do this for me?"

"Hey Atobe," Echizen said excitedly, "you just cursed –it's the first time I've ever heard you curse."

"I don't curse –that is for uncouth people like you," he argued.

"You said I _screwed_ up your chances of fucking tonight and that's a curse word."

"_Screw_ is a proper word," he continued to defend himself. "This is pointless."

"Just go back to your date and pretend I'm not here. I'll be gone as soon as I'm full."

Sighing in defeat, Atobe headed back into the sitting room with a thousand words of apology on his lips but found the room empty. He checked the powder room and his bedroom but Kaya wasn't in either. He tried the study in case she was there but it was also empty. His phone that lay on the table was blinking though and he checked his messages and found one from her. 'I should have known'

"Where'd the model go?"

Startled, he turned around to find Echizen leaning against the door jamb with another apple in his hand.

"She left"

"Can I eat the food then?" the younger man asked tactlessly, already making his way over to the table.

Atobe typed out a quick 'I'm sorry' to his girlfriend then joined his visitor at the specially set out table. "You really are a terrible friend."

"You decided that friend stuff on your own and now you have to take responsibility," Echizen retorted. "You are my only friend after all; you have to bear all my bad habits."

"What about Jin?" Atobe asked without thinking and paused in the middle of placing lasagna onto his plate to watch the other man's reaction.

"He's having a kid –can't expect him to deal with my bullshit so until you're having kids with the model which won't be happening anytime this decade, please take care of me," his friend declared wryly and then noisily sucked noodles into his mouth.

"Do you have to say it so provocatively?"

"It's nothing to get excited about," Echizen dismissed.

Atobe took the next few moments to sample the food and almost gagged. "How are you eating this? It's disgusting."

"You ordered it so why are you complaining?"

"It's not meant to be eaten cold"

"You shouldn't have eaten it then."

"You were eating like it was okay so I thought it was still a little hot," Atobe explained

"Are you stupid?" Echizen asked seriously and then proceeded to explain the difference between the mannerisms of the rich and the poor. The pair argued over most of the things he said until it was close to midnight. Atobe had completely forgotten about Kaya and the thought of how much wooing he'd have to do later did not cross his mind.

"Meet me at the Tokyo Station on Sunday at noon," Echizen demanded and left, refusing to listen to Atobe's explanation about the lunch with his parents.

_I can meet him and still make it in time if Kaya meets me at the house. Or I can just stand him up –I never agreed to go._

000

"Get rid of him," Jin growled as he passed by, a crate over his shoulder. They were loading the van for a delivery – well, Jin was loading the van while Echizen sat on one of the crates, waiting for his partner to be done. It would have made more sense for both of them to load the crates onto the back of the van but they had tried that at the beginning and ended up fighting about how the boxes were stacked. One of the boxes had fallen during the fight and they had had to pay for it. Their current arrangement was one person loads and the other unloads. It worked.

Of course it meant that they were the last ones to leave the warehouse but Jin was a crazy driver so they usually made more deliveries than any other team. There were many stacks of boxes and crates all over the warehouse and only two other vans that were almost fully loaded. For a moment he wondered who he was supposed to get rid of. He turned away from the stack of boxes and groaned. There was a man in a pinstripe suit standing by the heavy doors staring right at him.

Echizen considered ignoring him but the manager didn't like it when employees got visitors during working hours and Jin didn't need the trouble. Feeling a little irritated, he got up and strolled over to his visitor, stopping a few feet away.

"What do _you_ want?" he asked rudely. His visitor's eyes narrowed behind obviously fake glasses. "Oh for fucks sake just let it out!"

"You're stirring up trouble for Atobe even though he will never say anything to you," the bespectacled man said in civil tones.

"Atobe send you?" he asked casually though he already knew the mega rich man hadn't.

"I look out for his interests without him having to prompt me; it's what friends do," the blue haired man rebuked. "He thinks you're his friend but we both know you're just using him for his money by turning his guilt against him."

Echizen hummed thoughtfully, turned back to the truck that was almost fully loaded and walked away from Atobe's former teammate.

"You're selfish," his visitor's voice came from behind him and he sighed irately.

"Just go away," he begged and turned to lean against the truck. Oshitari stood a few paces away with a superior and disdainful expression on his face.

"You don't know what Atobe has been through because of you. If you were his friend, you would realize that you're the last thing he needs."

"Actually," Echizen said conversationally, "I'm exactly what he needs."

"What could he possibly need from a murderer?" Oshitari snarled and not a moment later, there was a blur hurtling towards him. Fortunately for the blue haired man, Jin had finished loading the truck and rounded to the driver's side where the forbidden words were said.

Echizen saw red. He wanted to harm the smug bastard who'd just thoughtlessly declared him a murderer and made to do just that when a knee was driven into his stomach. His breath left him in a whoosh and he was gasping for a while to get it back. The words 'get out' were said to someone but he continued to crouch and cradle his stomach.

"Let's go," Jin groused and got into the truck.

"I'm going to get you for that," he muttered as he got into the passenger seat. "That fucking hurt"

000

Atobe parked his car right next to the bus stop and waited for Echizen to show up. _I hope it's not a tennis match._ He'd reviewed all the possible reasons Echizen might want to see him on a Sunday afternoon and that was his only conclusion. "He's going to be late," the brunet mumbled to himself but was proved wrong by tapping against the window a few seconds later. He lowered the window and looked at the other expectantly.

"Come on or we'll miss it," the younger man growled and started to walk off.

Atobe had two options; follow or leave, and for the life of him he didn't know why he exited the car and locked it. Echizen looked at him impatiently from the door of a white and green bus then disappeared through the door. An uneasy feeling settled in his stomach as he followed and climbed onto the bus as well. Some of the seats were occupied but he didn't have much time to look around because the bus lurched away from the curb and he made his way to the back where the only person he knew was seated.

"Where are we going?" he asked apprehensively. "I'm going to be late for lunch with my parents."

"You're not going to lunch with your parents," Echizen corrected.

"I have to get off," Atobe panicked and got up only to be jerked back by the dark haired man. "You do not understand –I cannot miss this lunch."

"I need to talk to you," Echizen said, amber eyes staring into his own. Then his hand was released and he stayed even though part of him was screaming that he get off the bus and go home to his parents. The landscape began to change as they left Tokyo behind. "How much are you worth?"

"You made me stay to talk about how rich I am?" Atobe asked incredulously

"Answer the question"

"Do you need money?"

"Just answer the damn question," the younger man rumbled.

"A few billion dollars," he relented wondering where the conversation was leading.

"Did you ever think about playing professionally?"

"A few times," the billionaire smiled and relaxed. "When I thought of playing against Tezuka, I would get so excited and consider the possibility but it never would have happened." There was an unasked question in those amber eyes. "I am the heir of the Atobe Corporation –there is no place for professional tennis in my life."

"Sounds tough," Echizen remarked sarcastically.

"I don't expect you to understand," he dismissed. "My parents are very old-fashioned and the Atobe name is all they think about."

"Where would the boyfriend have fit in?"

Atobe's eyes widened in surprise, and he wouldn't have recovered so fast if he was anyone else. "I would have figured something out."

"You're more naïve than I was back then," the younger man laughed. "You didn't think everything through, did you?"

"No I didn't," he admitted after a minute of thought. "I was just acting on my feelings and I screwed everything up."

"Yeah you did"

They sat in silence for a long time, watching the countryside roll by. There hadn't been any accusation in Echizen's voice when he agreed that Atobe had screwed up and silence fell over them.

"You know that I wouldn't have dated you right?" the voice came from his right but the speaker didn't turn to look at him.

"My charm would have overwhelmed you eventually."

"That's a healthy ego you have."

"It's confidence," he replied haughtily.

"He was right about you," Echizen continued quietly

"Yes," he admitted with a little shame this time. "Do you feel guilty about…?"

"What do you think?"

0

It was getting dark when they got back and Atobe felt relaxed until he pulled his phone out of the glove compartment and found 21 missed calls. He'd just put the phone to his ear to listen to the first voicemail when it was yanked away by his passenger.

"Just ignore them for tonight," Echizen persuaded and threw the phone where it had come from and snapped the compartment closed. "I'm hungry"

"Aren't you always hungry?" Atobe asked amusedly. "I need the phone to order in."

"No," he was quickly overridden. "We can pick something on the way."

Atobe drove to one of the restaurants he frequented and went inside. He was there for about twenty minutes, and eventually emerged with two packages. The sight that met him when he opened the car door was not good. Echizen had his phone in his hands and was flipping through it with a smirk on his face.

"What did you do?" he asked wearily and set the packages down in the back seat and reached for the phone. He knew even before the other man said it.

"Deleted the messages –it was just a lot of nagging," the other man reassured and sniffed the back of the car appreciatively. "I made sure," Echizen smiled and reached for one of the packages.

"At least wait until we get to the apartment," Atobe chastised and threw the phone to the back. _I have a feeling I am going to regret this afternoon for a long time._

The drive to the apartment building didn't take long and Echizen secured the packages in which his interest lay and led the way to the lobby. Atobe exchanged pleasantries with the concierge and joined his friend in the elevator before it closed. They were soon in the apartment –toeing off their shoes and heading to the sitting room or that's what the billionaire thought until he noticed he was alone. He looked back and was amused to see his guest trying to peer up the winding stairs.

"What's up there?"

"The roof"

"I want to go up there."

"Suit yourself –I'm going to have a bath." Atobe continued to his room and stripped down to briefs, throwing the clothes into the laundry basket on his way to the bathroom. Even though he really wanted to soak in the tub and let his muscles relax, he was exhausted so he settled for a quick shower that lasted 20 minutes.

Emerging from the steam-filled bathroom, he looked at his bed longingly and decided to lay down for a while before he'd go up and check on Echizen. He was out like a light in no time.

0

Meanwhile, Echizen who had 'suited himself' had gone up the stairs which led to a glass house dimly illuminated by the moon. Finding a light had been easy and he'd been speechless when he had flipped the lights and the rooftop had been bathed in orange light. _Just like the rich,_ he'd thought in amazement and opened one of the glass doors that led to the rooftop garden. It was just well maintained grass and some shrubs, a few flowers, a wooden table and garden seats but it was beautiful.

He'd placed the packages on the table and walked around the garden once, stumbling upon a covered hot tub that had made his toes curl. "I love rich people," he'd whispered in amazement and turned the power to the tub on. As soon as the water was warm, he'd stripped completely and eased into the water. He'd been moaning the first few seconds until his body had got used to it –then he'd just leaned back and stared at the stars.

At some point, he got out of the water, slipped his boxers on and went back downstairs to look for forks and plates because Atobe was probably too cultured to eat from the restaurant containers. _Where is he anyway,_ he thought on his way back and quickly peeked into the bedroom; there he was, lying on the bed and very asleep.

"I don't mind eating everything," he mumbled and continued on his way to the roof. It's only when he opened the packages that he understood why the billionaire hadn't bothered to join him after his bath; there was only food for one. "Is he an idiot?"

He didn't dwell on it though and wolfed down the rice and chicken noodle soup. He took off the boxers again once he was done and sunk into the hot tub again. He let his mind go blank and just enjoyed the heat. It was a really good soak and he would have been in the water much longer if a feminine scream hadn't ruined his peace.

Of course it was the model; he didn't have to look up to know that but he did anyway. When she saw that it was him, she stopped screaming and started shouting at him to get out.

"Would you shut the fuck up!" he shouted back just as Atobe appeared behind her confused at all the noise. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"This is my boyfriend's apartment," she hissed taking a step into the garden. "Get out!" she screamed as loud as she could. She might have stupidly kept advancing but Atobe took hold of her arm and pulled her back. Predictably, she turned on him and started shouting at him too.

There was a lot of pointing in his direction but he didn't bother to follow the conversation. Instead, he left the heat of the hot tub, pulled on his clothes and left. He did pause as he passed by the quarreling couple, mumbling the word 'nice' as he stared at Atobe's abs then he was gone. He had a full stomach and his body felt heavenly –he was definitely going to sleep well.

00

Atobe woke up to very familiar screaming and dashed out of his room and up the stairs to find his girlfriend angrily shouting her lungs out. She was treading on dangerous ground because he was certain Echizen would not hesitate to shut her up if she didn't do it herself so he pulled her back from advancing towards said man who had been leisurely soaking until the screaming started.

It was a good thing Kaya turned on him and started accusing him of everything from standing her up to cheating on her; Echizen was buck naked behind her and he didn't need her to know that so he focused as much attention on her as he could. He got a glimpse of everything and it wasn't going to leave his mind soon.

Kaya was just getting down to the interrogation when Echizen walked past them and they both caught the word 'nice' as he passed by, giving Atobe's torso more attention than he should have been. The model looked like she was ready to burst when she stomped down the stairs after Echizen.

Atobe turned off the hot tub and cleared the table, wondering at the extra set of eating utensils before taking them to the kitchen where he found Kaya sipping a glass of wine like nothing had happened.

"I'm really sorry about lunch," he said quietly and disposed of the trash. "I didn't think I'd miss it and I'm sorry."

"You were not taking my calls," she accused rightfully

"I forgot my phone in the glove compartment –we needed to talk about some things and it got late… I'm really sorry," he apologized again.

"Where were you?"

"We rode a bus out of town and back," he admitted wearily. He really didn't have the energy to fight which is what Kaya obviously wanted to do. He'd been wrong to run off with Echizen and he knew that but being cross examined wasn't going to do any good. "I'll make it up to you."

"Make it up to me?" she hissed. "You left me to have lunch with your parents by myself –your parents who hate me might I add, just so you could be with your 'boyfriend' and you want to make it up to me?"

"Kaya please cal-"

"I was worried about you," she shouted at him. "The whole time your mother was making snide remarks about my career choice and I was worried that something might have happened to you –I even called Oshitari and you know how much I dislike him. No one knew where you were."

"I've said I'm sorry," Atobe growled angrily. "I didn't know it was going to take so long."

"You just got on a bus with a psycho without knowing where it was going –what did you expect?" she jeered

"I don't know what to tell you," he sighed tiredly.

"I don't know what I expected –you're an idiot when it comes to him and he's going to ruin you. Kami, I wish you'd be a fucking man sometimes!" she shouted and stomped out of the apartment.

He was too tired to work out what she meant so he turned out the lights and trooped back into his bedroom. The last thought he had before he fell asleep was of Echizen's naked profile in the semi darkness of the rooftop garden.

000

Atobe walked into his office the next morning to the disapproving face of his PA and the disapproving back of his mother.

"I wasn't expecting you this morning," he said as pleasantly as he could manage and sat in his chair across from her. As he studied her face, alarm bells began to go off in his head. "What did you do?"

"Nothing just yet," she warned, "but I will have him returned to jail if you do not cut all ties with him." Oshitari handed her a cup of tea then left and she went on. "I will not have you tarnishing the Atobe name –your father has worked so hard and you would bring it all down for one person?" She was obviously ticked though her tone remained civil. "The model, I can forgive but not a murderer."

"It is not your place to decide who I associate with mother," he intoned just as civilly. "I am not a child and your threats do not work on me. If you send anyone to him, I will find out about it and I will make you regret giving me life." They looked into each other's eyes for any sign of wavering but there was none.

"Fine," Atobe Midori sighed. "I will not come to your assistance when it all blows up in your face though."

"Thank you mother," he smiled and made small talk until she left.

"Threatening your own mother?" Oshitari asked and placed a folder on his desk. "That's a bit low, don't you think?"

"It's how Atobes do things," he dismissed and opened the folder to review the proposal he was supposed to present on later in the day. "If that's all you needed to talk about then I suggest we get back to work."

"What happened yesterday?" the bespectacled man asked

"We'll discuss that at lunch," he replied. "The others are still joining us aren't they?"

"Yes, they are."

"Good"


	5. Chapter 5

******Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Falling Apart**

Echizen had been having a bad day –a very bad day. Sakuno had given birth and Jin had a few days off so he'd gotten stuck with an asshole for a partner and by the end of the day, he wanted to kill something. He had a tennis match with Atobe that evening and knowing that he was in a bad mood, he shouldn't have gone because it turned into one gigantic disaster.

For the last three and a half months, Atobe had been reserving a private court at one of the clubs at which he was a member so they could have matches and they faced off at least three times a week. It got Echizen's blood pumping and made him feel young again so he never missed a match. But he'd never played when angry either so the first clue that things weren't going to go so good should have had him packing his bags but pride kept him on the court.

Atobe must have had a wonderful day because he swaggered over to the court with a wide smile which Echizen wanted to wipe off as soon as he saw it. In fact he wanted to rub that face into the dirt which was cue one to leave but then the asshole opened his mouth and declared that he'd definitely win the match.

It was a bad match –terrible even; all he aimed to do was maim the billionaire with the tennis balls and got frustrated when he couldn't even get one to connect. It was close to the end of the match that he finally threw away his racquet, jumped over the net and rushed his stunned opponent. His hands were in Atobe's hair and pushing his head down into the fake grass.

"Don't laugh at me!" he growled completely lost to the rage. "Don't fucking laugh!"

"You're hurting me," the brunet cried and tried to dislodge the hands in his hair but every attempt brought even more pain.

"You are nothing Atobe," Echizen breathed in the ear closest to him. "You're shit compared to that middle school kid I considered my rival. You're fucking shit so stop acting like you're my friend!"

"Hey!" someone shouted from the entrance to the court which had the effect of shocking Echizen back into reality. He released the brown locks from his fingers and pushed away from the man he'd just been attacking.

His head was spinning and when he saw the look of fear in the blue eyes that turned to look at him, he retched but clasped a hand to cover his mouth and run out past the man who had called out. He was quick to find a toilet and throw up. After all the contents of his stomach were in the toilet bowl, he sat on the toilet floor and his mind took him back to what he'd just done. As the disgust from it all overwhelmed him, he retched into the toilet once more but nothing came up.

He stayed there heaving for over ten minutes until it seemed his body was tired and he collapsed right there, against the toilet.

When he next woke up, he was in a warm bed somewhere and someone was stroking his hair. He didn't need to open his eyes to know who was doing it –only one person would dare and he knew the smell of his cologne anyway.

"Sorry," he mumbled hoarsely and the stroking stopped.

"What were you thinking?" a gravelly voice asked from above him. "It would have been bad if they had called the police"

"Sorry," he repeated and started shivering. "Sorry…sorry…sorry…sorry…"

He mumbled it over and over as his shaking got worse. Atobe who'd been seated at the edge of the bed behind him got up and a while later, a blanket was added over the duvet he was laying underneath. Then the weight was back behind him and the hand was stroking his hair again.

"Sorry," he repeated for the umpteenth time only louder.

"I have no idea what you are apologizing for –what happened at the club or sleeping in my bed without a bath," the billionaire tried to joke but Echizen just kept repeating the apology over and over again. "It's okay," Atobe finally conceded. "I'm not mad." A few seconds later, he fell asleep.

0

Atobe sat at the kitchen island and cradled a glass of scotch. Echizen had just gone back to sleep and he'd talked to Oshitari, both to reassure him that he was fine and to ask him to cancel his meetings for the next day. He'd also called Kaya to tell her he had a guest and not to come over. Then he'd turned off his phone and poured a glass of scotch which he was nursing as he thought.

The man who had interrupted his head bashing had dragged him to the club doctor and asked a security officer to stand guard at the bathroom door behind which Echizen had disappeared. He had a few scratches which had been disinfected and then he'd demanded to be let into the bathroom only to find his friend in such a pathetic state –passed out against the toilet which was not pleasant to look at or smell. He had carried Echizen out and had the doctor to look at him before carrying him to his car and bringing him home. They had tried to stop him, telling him that Echizen was obviously too unbalanced to be left in his care but he'd brushed them off.

The man had snapped that much was obvious; he'd been aggressive and violent toward him. For a moment he'd been transported back to ten years ago and then he'd met terrified amber eyes and Echizen had fled. He could guess what was going through the other man's mind –who wouldn't be terrified if they suddenly tried to kill a friend…another friend.

What bothered him though were the words he'd said. Even though Echizen might try to deny it, it was clearly what he really felt towards the billionaire. And it hurt. But he still cared for the younger dark haired man and he didn't know what his options were at the moment. So he sat there and drank.

At about 3:00am, he headed back to the bedroom and found Echizen awake with his emergency phone cradled in his hands, his eyes were eerily empty of any emotion.

"Are you okay?" he asked and sat down next to the man's head, peering down into his face.

"Sorry," the man mumbled again.

"I already said it is okay," Atobe reassured hollowly.

"It's not okay," Echizen retorted weakly. "I'm not good for you."

"That's not true," he comforted. "It was nothing."

"It wasn't nothing; I can't ever do that again," the dark haired man whispered. "Not to you –not ever." There was a lengthy pause in which Atobe strove for what to say as a feeling of dread overcame him. "I'm moving to America."

"No," he growled and tilted the other man's head so their eyes met. "We can fix it. I just have to get better and stronger –whatever you need, just…don't leave."

"You'll be happy," the amber eyed man vowed with tears in his eyes. "Definitely"

"No I won't," he denied vehemently. "I know you don't think of me as a friend but please…"

"I didn't mean what I said," Echizen interrupted, "I'm sorry… sorry"

"Stop saying that," Atobe snapped. "You meant it. You blame me for ten years ago and I'm sorry that I hate him for it; so much that I wish I'd been the one to kill him."

"You don't mean that," Echizen gasped.

"Yes I do. I've loved you for so long and I hate him for hurting you," Atobe said sadly, purposely caressing the scarred skin. "But I hate myself more for bringing it all on you."

"I don't blame you," the younger man hoarsely got out. "I never really blamed… maybe a little for asking me out."

"Your sense of humor is still intact," Atobe chuckled and they silently stared at each other for many minutes. "Don't go"

"I can't stay"


	6. Chapter 6

******Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis**

* * *

**Chapter 6: In Limbo**

"Fuji?"

"Hello Tezuka, how are you?"

"I'm fine."

"How is your wife?"

"We're both fine."

"That's good."

"Did you need something?"

"Have you seen Atobe recently?"

"Not recently, no."

"You are in Tokyo so I was wondering if you'd seen Echizen recently"

"No"

"Oh…okay"

"But I heard he went back to America"

"Oh"

"Was there anything else you needed?"

"Do you miss him?"

"No"

"Not even a little?"

"..."

"I miss him."

"Goodnight Fuji."

000

"Sakuno, does Jin look unhappy to you?"

"No"

"I think he misses Echizen"

"He's just tired from the baby crying in the night"

"I still think he misses Echizen"

"Would you cut it out with all the talk about Echizen? It's pissing me off!"

"Okay okay – you don't have to bite my head off."

"Sorry –the baby is just tiring me out"

"He might have changed."

"Good for him."

"Sakuno, he's your husband's friend."

"Maybe now that he's gone, my husband should make new friends."

000

"Oh my baby," his mother cried into his ear and he felt her tears dampen his t-shirt. "I've m-m-mis-sed you so m-mu-ch Ryoma," she hiccupped and squeezed him tighter. It was making him uncomfortable- very uncomfortable. They were standing in the doorway of the house, his mother clinging to him and crying her eyes out, his father somewhere behind him on the porch snickering at him. He didn't want to believe that he would hurt the woman who'd given him life but it was better not to take chances.

He pulled her away from his body and she redirected her hands to his face, brushing his hair away, cupping his cheeks in her hands and rubbing her thumb over his scar. He reached up and grabbed her wrists, yanking her hands away from his face and shoving her away.

"Ryoma!" both his parents cried out, his mother in hurt surprise when she steadied herself and his father in warning as he moved to stand beside Rinko. The old man had already talked his ear off during the ride from the airport, mostly about how sensitive his mother was and how careful he had to be around her. Considering that he'd let her have a hug and make his shirt wet, it was a fucking miracle he hadn't gone for her throat. Touching his scar was pushing her luck in his opinion. But she didn't know that so maybe he should tell her.

"Don't touch the scars - it's easy for me to lose it," he explained awkwardly and his mother gave him a forced smile, nodding in understanding.

"Let me show you your room." She babbled on about the house and the neighbors as she pulled him through a corridor, stopping at the end and opening a door to his right. The room was of medium size, white walls, one window and a queen sized bed pushed against one wall. "We left it plain so you can decorate it as you want."

"I hate white," was all he said, shrugging his arm free of her grasp. His dad had followed them but hung back – probably just making sure he didn't kill his mother.

"We can pick colors and other furniture you need – maybe a reading desk on which to do your homework. We can't have you doing that at the kitchen table." She clapped her hands excitedly – obviously she hadn't noticed how he went rigid at the mention of homework or how his eyes narrowed. "There's so much to do – we still have to pick a school. I have some brochures you can look through. I went through some of them and there's this one -"

He drove his fist into the door frame by her head which shut her up and made her eyes widen with fear. "Who the fuck says I'm going back to school?" he asked threateningly, taking a step forward.

"I do," his father said from behind him and as soon as he whirled around, a fist was buried in his stomach. _Shit …that hurts._

"I came -" he gasped as he ambled over to a wall and slid to the floor, sitting with one leg stretched out and the other folded. "I came to play tennis." He closed his eyes and leaned back – focusing on the pain and hoping it would get him through the conversation without maiming anyone.

"You'll play but you'll also get a diploma or a degree –something to fall back on. And do not scare your mother like that again."

"That fucking hurt," he complained.

"No cursing either," Nanjiroh told him seriously and led his mother away.

_I wish I'd stayed in Tokyo_

000

"You seem happy," Oshitari remarked as soon as he slid into a chair at their table in a trendy restaurant in the heart of the city. There were two reasons why he made the deduction: he was over five minutes late and hadn't received a call from Atobe who hated to be kept waiting, and the slight smile that played on his lips was a dead giveaway.

Atobe completely ignoring his friend's observation asked why the others hadn't arrived yet.

"Well this is new," Shishido, a dark haired blockhead just starting his journalism career remarked as he took a seat opposite Atobe. "I guess we're not here to cheer him up this time."

"Doesn't seem like it," Oshitari replied cheerfully

"Oh good – that was getting old."

"I can actually hear you" Atobe snapped. "How is the paper Ryou?"

"It's good," he nodded and looked scanned the table for something to munch on. "Why do we always come to places with nothing to chew on –and the food takes forever," he complained.

"Because Keigo only eats in expensive restaurants and they're stingy," Gakuto, a redhead with blue eyes, cut in as he took a seat next to Oshitari and pulled Ootori, his white haired boyfriend to sit next to him. "You look happy," he addressed the billionaire this time and got a mild glare for his efforts.

"Now that everyone's here, let's get some food –I'm starving," Shishido pronounced already looking around for a waiter.

"You're always hungry," Gakuto huffed but didn't say any more when Ootori gave him a disapproving look. "So," he turned to Atobe, "what has got you so happy?"

"I can guess," Oshitari interjected when their former captain looked like he would brush them off, garnering the attention of the whole table. "Something to do with Echizen"

"No!" Gakuto stage whispered dramatically. "I thought he had finally asked that beautiful thing to marry him," he went on normally.

"Like that's going to happen," Shishido laughed and waved to a passing waiter. They ordered and sat back to listen to Shishido's theory on why Atobe and kaya were never tying the knot. "Well see," he started, "no one marries a woman he's been fucking for 2 years."

"Do you have to be so vulgar," Gakuto rebuked and threw a napkin at his head. "You will marry her though –poor thing has been waiting for so long." The redhead threw a baleful look at the subject of the conversation but was distracted by Shishido sharing his philosophies again.

"She's made more money off him waiting for the engagement than most women make in 10 years," the blockhead explained. "If you count how many times they've fought and put into consideration how much Atobe goes out of his way to apologize, she should have at least a billion yen worth of jewelry by now."

"People don't get married for money," Ootori spoke up in Kaya's defense.

"Atobes do," Shishido pointed out, "and anyone marrying into the Atobe family."

"I can hear you," Atobe snapped again for being talked about like he was absent.

"So, who's right," Gakuto asked ignoring his earlier comment. "Me or Oshitari"

"I don't have to answer that."

"Oh man!" Shishido exclaimed. "Don't turn gay on me"

"I never said any-"

"You didn't have to," Oshitari cut in. "We've known you for a long time."

"Is he coming back?" Ootori inquired

"No"

"I'm sure he'll be back eventually," the white haired man comforted as he'd been doing the last five months since Echizen left. It had been difficult to even get the billionaire out of his apartment or office but their persistent nagging had worn him down until they were back to having lunch once a week. Sometimes they all couldn't make it –Kabaji wasn't in the country and Jiroh had to travel to Kyoto for business though they all still wondered what kind of person had hired that sleepy head.

"So what happened?" Gakuto insistently prodded. "Did he send you a dirty video?"

"Eeewww," Shishido groused, "please don't talk about man sex when I'm about to eat"

"Did he?" Gakuto insisted as their food arrived.

"Our relationship is not like that," he finally sighed and wished these weekly lunches would end even though he did enjoy seeing his friends more often.

"_Your relationship_," the redhead emphasized, "tell me about it."

"Would you please stop," Atobe begged. "It was a phone call –I hope you are all happy now."

The spoon he raised to his mouth clanged back into his bowl of soup when Gakuto asked what the call was about.

"It was a normal phone call," he growled before he remembered himself. "I'm sorry but if you are trying to rile me up, it isn't going to work."

"It's so much fun trying," the redhead admitted happily. "What I want to know though is who you're actually with."

"Do I really have to answer that?" he sighed in exasperation. Gakuto could be so tiring.

"You have a thing for Echizen, right? You were going on dates before he left."

"Those were not dates and define 'a thing'," he requested as he worked out how to get out of this discussion which was providing amusement for not only Gakuto but Oshitari as well.

"To use Ryou's eloquent wording, 'a thing' is when you want to fuck someone, in this case –Echizen."

_Oh Kami –what have I done to you lately?_ He tried to keep a straight face but considering that Shishido had just spat half chewed food back into his plate, it was difficult to do so. Pushing his bowl away because he was definitely not eating anymore, he sat back and studied all the faces at the table as they looked at him expectantly.

"I have a girlfriend," he finally told them as solemnly as he could manage.

"Oh come on," Gakuto cried, "just say it 'I want to fuck him' or is it that you want him to fuck you?"

Shishido who had started eating something else after the spitting incident threw his fork onto his plate in frustration. "Do we really have to talk about man sex as we eat?"

"It's really hot," Gakuto assured as he placed a chicken cube in his mouth and chewed sensually. "You should try it sometime."

"I'm out of here," the blockhead declared and got up, tossing his napkin at the redhead. "Call me," he mouthed to Atobe and got a nod before he left the restaurant.

"Now see what you did," Ootori accused his boyfriend who just rolled his eyes and turned calculating eyes on Atobe.

"I can tell you all about man sex if you want," Gakuto teased which was Atobe's cue to leave. With a quick 'no thanks', he fled, leaving the three laughing as they continued their lunch.

00

He lay in bed that night thinking of that evening five months back; Echizen had stopped by to mooch his last meal off the billionaire and they'd ended up talking about their middle school days and playing tennis. The former prodigy had admitted that he was relieved Atobe had stopped pointing and snapping his fingers like an idiot.

To annoy the dark haired man, he'd began to snap and point at random points in the conversation until Echizen had attacked his arms and kept them at his sides. It had turned awkward being that close and until the shorter man had embraced him. It had been a bittersweet moment, completely ruined when he was shoved away and Echizen left him alone in his apartment.

He had played that last visit in his mind over and over and it never failed to make him smile. Just like the phone call earlier that day. Typical of Echizen, it had been the shortest call he could remember in a long time. He'd been given a phone number with specific instructions not to call and the date of his debut match as a pro. He was excited for him but he was even more excited that he'd got to listen to his voice.

When he finally fell asleep, his dreams were filled with Echizen.


	7. Chapter 7

******Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Ten Years Ago**

Atobe woke up with a throbbing headache and groaned. Even before he opened his eyes, he was uneasy. He was on the floor and his head lay on his right arm, half his body stretched out on a hard surface. He pulled his head away and tried to stretch his arm out to get rid of the numbness but found he couldn't move it. He pulled at whatever was restraining his arms but only succeeded in making it bite into his wrists.

Already feeling panic set in, he opened his blue eyes and took in his surroundings. He was in some sort of garage – it was too small to be a warehouse and the tools on a shelf in one corner pointed to garage. And he was chained to a table he realized at the same time he noticed someone else on the other side of the table in the same position he was in. He knew that hair.

"Echizen," he called out quietly even though he had no idea why he was whispering. When he got no reaction out of the other teen, he started rattling the handcuffs that bound him to the table hoping that movement might rouse the other. It didn't. He tried to pull against the metal section the cuffs were attached to but it didn't give. Next he tried lifting the table but it was very heavy and his position didn't make it any easier. The table was very low – made of three large wooden slabs 6 x6 inches and 6 feet long resting on metal brackets with six metal strips linking the wooden slabs. It is to one of these strips that he was cuffed to and Echizen to another on the other side.

He forced himself to calm down, unwilling to call out to the other boy in case it drew their captor. They had to get away from there. Pushing himself to his feet, he hunched uncomfortably over the table before deciding to climb over to the other side instead of walking around the table which wasn't feasible. With most of his upper body draped over the table, he inched closer to Echizen's still body and nudged his head with a knee. He didn't expect that head to shoot up and golden eyes to hold his in a fierce glare but he was greatly relieved.

"We have to get out of here," Atobe whispered urgently.

"Get these things off and I can leave you to whatever little game you're playing," Echizen said as he jingled the cuffs meaningfully.

"You think this is my doing?" Atobe asked incredulously.

"Obviously," Echizen drawled unconcerned. "Isn't this a little scruffy for an Atobe?" he asked taking stock of his surroundings.

"I'm not a-"

"What do you think you're doing?" a voice called out from the door freezing them both for a moment before Atobe looked over at their captor and Echizen turned with a smile.

"Momo- joke's up. Open up these things."

"What were you doing before I came in?" he asked coldly, ignoring Echizen's demands. "And what are you doing on that side?"

Atobe saw the angry glint in the Seigaku power player and it filled him with dread. The teen stalking over angrily just increased his unease and when a hand reached for him, he recoiled. There wasn't anywhere to go though and he couldn't avoid the hand that gripped his hair and slammed his head into the table making his head throb.

"Momo, what are you doing?" a panicked voice reached him but before he could look over his legs were grabbed and his body was thrown over to the side of the table he'd originally be at and then they were being tied to the metal bracket with a rope. "Momo!" Echizen screamed but anything else he wanted to say was muffled as a dirty t-shirt was stuffed into his mouth.

"Please let us go," Atobe mumbled trying for diplomacy.

"I will," Momoshiro promised. "After I'm satisfied" with that he left them.

They stayed like that for hours, Atobe's eyes locked on Echizen who wouldn't look at him even though he begged. It was terrifying in the silence, waiting for the unknown to happen. So he talked. He talked about himself and his family, his friends… anything and everything –until he had nothing more to talk about. Then the silence hung over them, and it scared him so he started over. Just talking

000

"Please," Atobe begged as he watched Momo hold a glass of water to Echizen's lips and force the teen to drink. They'd been there a day already and they hadn't eaten – he hadn't even had any water. They were filthy because Momoshiro wouldn't let them go to the bathroom to relieve their bladders. It was humiliating – sitting in his filth in front of the person he liked. Heartbreaking to see the one he liked go through all this because of him.

Momo had made him confess the previous night; had told him to bare his soul if he wanted them to get them both out of there. And he had, had confessed how he'd developed feelings after their memorable match. Had been thinking about the prodigy and wanted to become friends and maybe more over time. He wanted to date the cocky brat sometime in the future. As if watching the emotions on Echizen's face run from disbelief to amusement and then finally to puzzlement wasn't enough, Momoshiro had refused to let them go until Atobe _stopped_ his feelings. It wasn't something he could turn on and off but when he tried to explain that, Momoshiro had left them on their own.

A restless night and more than a hundred apologies later and here they were. Echizen being force fed water and him watching on as it happened. "Please let him go. I swear I will never talk to him again." Momoshiro turned distrustful eyes on him. "I swear it."

"Would you die for him?" he asked warily as he stuffed the gag back.

"Yes. I'd do anything."

"Then you're not stopping your feelings are you?" the power player asked angrily, his eyes hard once more.

"I'll stop – I swear it."

"What were you going to do once he came over to your place?" Momoshiro asked conversationally but there was an edge to it. Echizen turned his head so he could look at Atobe as he answered. The former Hyoutei captain had been hounding him to spend a weekend at his house for months and he'd finally agreed feeling worn down by the constant harassment.

"I just wanted to talk to him and play tennis," Atobe confessed wearily. "I just wanted to get to know him."

"What else?"

"That's it."

"What else?" Momoshiro asked angrily as he got up to his feet and advanced menacingly. "What else did you want to do to him?"

"Nothing – I wouldn't touch him without his consent," Atobe pleaded.

"But you wanted to touch him, didn't you?" He was yanked up the hair, his head at an uncomfortable angle before it was slammed into the table. "You wanted to touch my friend!" Momoshiro yelled ground his head into the wood. "Echizen is not a fag," the crazy Seigaku regular growled before letting go. Atobe closed his eyes so he wouldn't see Echizen's eyes – see the disgust in them. Truth be told, he had thought about Echizen in that way but that isn't why he'd invited him to his place. He'd just wanted to know if it was possible – if it was, he'd have waited.

Another day passed and Atobe wondered why no one came to rescue them. He still hadn't looked at Echizen even though the other had been making sounds to attract his attention – he was too ashamed; this was his fault. His depravity had caused this. He felt something brush against his forehead and opened his eyes startled. His eyes met Echizen's frustrated stare and with more mumbles from behind the gag, figured out what the other wanted. It took a little straining but he was able to reach the gag with his mouth and pull it out.

"What is wrong with you?" were the first words that met his ears making him cringe. "We need to get out of here and you're just ignoring me!"

"I'm really sorry Echizen."

"You know that I'm 13, right?"

"I was going to wait – I swear I wouldn't touch you without your… consent."

"I don't even like you,"

"I know that but given time even you would begin to appreciate my charm," Atobe said arrogantly.

"Mmmm, that's some ego you have there."

"What are you two doing?" a very angry voice called from the door.

Echizen jerked back in surprise, pulling on the shackles too hard and causing his wrist to bleed. "Echizen, are you okay?" a concerned Momo called as he rushed to his friend's aid only to have said friend flinch from him. "You know I won't hurt you… right?" When he got no answer, he tried to reassure his friend again. "I'm only doing this for you – to get Atobe to leave you alone. You don't want to be a homosexual, do you?"

"Why would it even matter?" Echizen asked angrily.

"Because you're my friend and men just don't do those things with other men!"

"No one said I'd be doing anything with any man – you just stuck your big nose where it didn't belong! Now let me go!"

"You don't know Atobe; he'll seduce you with his lies and then you'll be ruined."

"That's my problem not yours."

"I'm doing this for you as a friend, why can't you be grateful?"

"I hate this," Echizen whispered.

"You won't leave until Atobe gives up on you."

"Let me out of these things!" Echizen screamed again, now becoming hysterical.

"Shut up!"

"Let me go"

"I told you to shut up!"

"Let me g-" the demand was never completed because Momoshiro snapped and slammed his friend's head into the table, his fingers buried in the black strands.

"Don't talk to me like that," Momo snarled. "We're best friends and I'm looking out for you so you can't talk to me like that… ne Echizen?"

"You're hurting him," Atobe cried in protest when Momo lifted Echizen's head and slammed it into the table again. "He's bleeding – you have to take him to the hospital."

"Don't order me around! This is your fault," the power player accused as he let go. "Echizen is going to be the best but you wouldn't know anything about that because you think you can get anything with your money." Momoshiro's breathing was heavy. "Without it you are nothing! Nothing."

"That just makes you less than nothing," a soft whisper emerged from the injured boy and Atobe's eyes opened wide as Momoshiro stood angrily and stalked over to one of the shelves, picking up an old cracked vase and throwing it straight at Echizen's head.

Atobe felt his heart stop beating as he waited for Echizen to make a sound or move or… anything to show he was alive. Momoshiro was still fuming and made his way the door, Atobe doing his best to call him back. "You have to take him to the hospital –he might have brain damage."

"He's fine," Momoshiro dismissed but after a minute's pause, returned and checked on the younger teen who hadn't moved. "He'll wake up soon," he tried to sound reassuring but worry coated the words.

"Please get him to a hospital," he begged as his eyes filled with tears. "I'll stay here as long as I have to – just clean him up and get him to a hospital. I'll even tell everyone whatever you want me to and I'll never go near him again." A mistrustful look settled over Momoshiro's face. "I swear it."

"You went to one of your houses in secret and he got hurt on your way back. And you never look or talk to him again."

"Yes," Atobe said with resolve.

Momoshiro got a key from his back pocket, opened the cuffs holding Echizen and carried him out of the room.

Minutes ticked by and all he could do was pray that Echizen would be fine. He'd figure the rest of it out after that –Echizen had to be fine first. It was with shock that he watched Echizen stumble back into the garage and collapse at the door. He waited for the power player to show up and as the minutes crawled by, he began to worry that something had gone wrong. Echizen needed to be seen by a doctor and him just lying there… "Echizen!"

000

He couldn't sleep soundly for months – the image of Echizen falling to the floor, covered in blood. The long hours until Momoshiro's family returned home and the horror written on their faces when they found Echizen sprawled in the doorway of the garage and Atobe chained to their coffee table – blood splattered all over it. The man, obviously Momoshiro's father had made a move to touch Echizen's body only to pull back when Atobe started screaming at him at the top of his lungs; his screams were soon drowned out by others. He'd later realized it was probably Momoshiro's mother or sister after they found the body.

They had called the police who'd discovered that Echizen was barely alive and sent him to the ER. Momoshiro had not been so lucky and Atobe couldn't speak about it. He'd been sent to the hospital as well, the officers pretending he didn't smell like a sewer and failing most of the time. He didn't care.

The entire incident had received little press coverage mostly because Atobe senior had called in some favors. The Takeshi family had sued the both families for the death of their son, claiming that they should have been responsible enough to keep tabs on their children. Furthermore, they believed that the boys had done something to their son even though the pathologist had confirmed that there were no traces of drugs in the body, or brain damage.

They did not seem to see the hypocrisy in their arguments considering that they'd left their 15 year old son by himself as they went on a week-long vacation. The Atobes had settled regardless, on condition that the incident was never made more public than it already was. Echizen hadn't even been discharged from the hospital by then.

It had taken the tennis prodigy 3 months to heal completely and as soon as his doctor had declared him well enough, his trial for the murder of Momoshiro Takeshi was underway. It had been held in a closed court because of his age and the sensitivity of the case. Both Echizen and Atobe had stubbornly refused to tell the police what had happened and the investigators could only guess what motivated the Takeshi boy to do what he did when they examined all the evidence.

It had been assumed that Echizen wasn't in the right state of mind when he killed Momoshiro Takeshi. The judge had invited Echizen, his lawyer and the attorney to his chambers for a chat and no one knew what had been said but they had emerged unanimous in their decision to acquit the boy. The judge had strongly recommended psychiatric help.

000

Echizen had preferred the sanctuary of the psychiatric hospital and had successfully avoided everyone he knew until Atobe obstinately invaded his sanctuary. He would deny it to anyone but his psychiatrist that he was happy to see the narcissistic teenager. He spent many sessions repeating the things Atobe had said to him or re-telling how great their last match had been. He expressed his interest in an invitation to play against the former Hyoutei captain again, though he wouldn't explain why he refused to.

He never mentioned Atobe's attraction to him because it was a thing of the past and Atobe himself hadn't mentioned it. He got agitated when the lady he was coming to trust with most of his secrets would press for details on why Momo had kept them in his garage. Sometimes he got violent and had to be drugged. Still, he told her anything she asked about; anything but Atobe's feelings. There was no point in bringing it up.

It took a few weeks of begging on Atobe's part and convincing from his psychiatrist before Echizen agreed to a match. He was excited beyond measure. His father was easily convinced that the match would be therapeutic and a big step towards his recovery. His mother was not so easily persuaded but she agreed when she saw how excited he was. His dad had picked him up on the set day and dropped him at the club where he was meeting Atobe. Only he hadn't met Atobe first.

Atobe waited ten minutes past the designated meeting time before he went in search of Echizen, a bodyguard trailing his every movement. He found him outside the club entrance screaming at Tezuka who looked shocked. And then Tezuka made the mistake of trying to grab the unbalanced teen's arm to calm him down. Atobe skidded to a halt when Echizen shoved his former captain into the road and walked away nonchalantly, ignorant of the truck that bore down on his former captain.

Tezuka rolled away and would have been fine if the truck driver hadn't panicked and swerved towards him anyway. He watched in horror as one of the tyres passed over the hand in its path and Tezuka's face contorted in pain. A hand clamped over his upper arm, pulling him away. "Atobe, let's go!"

"But he's-"

"You have to take me somewhere –they'll come get me and I don't want to go!" Echizen cried. "Choose me."

There hadn't been any question on what Atobe would do.

He'd taken the prodigy to his house and asked fruitlessly what had happened. It had been about two hours before the police had come to pick the teen up. Echizen had clung to Atobe and begged him not to let them take him away but he'd been powerless to stop them. They had dragged Echizen away -kicking and screaming.

When he'd pushed Tezuka into the road, a career had been destroyed. All the bones in the former captain's right hand had been crushed and with his left elbow being as it was, it was doubtful he'd play professionally.

Atobe later learnt that Tezuka had confronted Echizen when he'd arrived at the club for their match and he'd insistently asked about Momoshiro when the younger teen didn't want to answer. Echizen had started yelling at his former captain when the word 'killed' was mentioned and then it went downhill.

The trial hadn't gone so well for Echizen this time. He'd been sentenced to two years in a juvenile hall. Atobe had defied his parents and kept going to see Echizen in the facility. His relationships with his friends had become strained over the four years Echizen had remained in juvenile hall –always doing something that got his time extended.

When Echizen had got out, he finally asked Atobe to stop visiting him. It had taken the threat of violence before he was taken seriously.

Atobe had to see a psychiatrist for the next three years just so he could interact with his friends and family normally. Then he'd met Kaya and things were looking up. He hadn't been able to forget about Echizen but he'd kept his distance –it was the best thing he could do for both of them.


	8. Chapter 8

******Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Reunion**

Echizen lay back in the striped blue and white lawn chair, cap pulled over his eyes and arms cushioning his head. The back door to the house opened and his mothers head peaked through, making him shrink into the chair.

"Darling, you have a phone call from that friend of yours." When he didn't respond, she returned to the house, most likely to tell his 'friend' that he wasn't home again. He'd been doing it all week – ignoring all calls except his manager's.

The door opened again and his mother walked out with a beer and a glass of juice. The auburn haired woman approached him and held out the beer which he took. She then sat at the edge of the chair besides his, her brow furrowed with worry. Echizen took a sip and waited for the inevitable question.

"Ryoma, what's going on?"

He sighed and sat up, rolling the bottle between his hands. "Nothing"

"But you haven't been speaking to your friend all week and I'm worried about you." Rinko's tone was distressed. "You can tell me Ryoma," she pleaded and made to brush his cheek affectionately but he moved away to avoid it. "I'm your mother."

"It's nothing," Echizen reaffirmed and when his mother looked like she was going to start nagging, he decided it wasn't worth keeping silent about. "I'm going to Tokyo in a few weeks – I don't want to think about it just yet."

"Is it because -"

"Yes!" Echizen shouted over her, not keen to hear it spoken aloud. "Yes," he repeated on a hushed whisper.

Rinko looked disturbed but returned to the house without comment, leaving him to his thoughts.

000

The chatter of other guests distracted Fuji from the awkward 'silence' his group had fallen into. Eiji shuffled his feet uncomfortably and wondered not for the first time why he'd bothered to attend. It was not so different from Tezuka's wedding, only now Tezuka was part of the huddle and his presence was making them nervous.

"So Tezuka," Fuji started, drawing their former captain's attention to himself to the relief of everyone else. "How is married life?"

Though they were all interested in his response, Inui and Oishi were the only ones to show it openly. It was a full minute before they got a response – not a satisfactory one, but a response just the same.

"You should try it."

The awkwardness was back and Eiji scanned the room looking for a reason to escape. There wasn't any at the moment but it didn't stop him looking. It was like looking at a colony of penguins – over 200 men decked out in tuxedos- all of them, and only a handful of ladies in champagne colored dresses serving hors d'oeuvres.

It was a strange party, but then again anything to do with Atobe was usually strange. In his defense, it hadn't been his idea. The former hyoutei regulars, bar their captain, had come up with this brilliant idea - a party for men… only men. And it was supposed to be a bachelor party. It was so boring! He kept waiting for strippers to appear but it would probably get even more awkward if that happened.

He watched Atobe laugh with a man he didn't know while Oshitari stood by, an amused smile pasted on his face. The redhead he'd thought of as a rival during high school was on the other side of the room leaning against a wall with another former Hyoutei regular. Not more than 5 meters from where they stood a jazz band played the mellowest music he'd ever heard.

_This is so boring_

As if the gods had heard his complaint and sent him a distraction, there was a shout at from the hall entrance and the room was plunged into a deep silence for all of three seconds before chatter started up again as heads turned to follow the progress of… _Echizen?_

"Echizen!" Eiji called out excitedly and a few people turned his way but he was too focused on his former teammate to notice. Said former-teammate was ignoring him in favor of stalking toward the billionaire for whom the party had been thrown. Most guests couldn't decide between eavesdropping and sharing theories and gossip about the latest arrival.

0

After pacing the parking lot for just over half an hour, Echizen had decided to man up and go to the party. All he planned to do was hand over his gift to the billionaire and get out of there. He even had his return flight booked for early the next morning so he'd be sure to miss the wedding – his gift to Kaya. He walked into the lobby of the hotel and headed for the reception area to ask for directions. The lady manning the reception gave him a dubious look before pointing him in the right direction. He didn't bother thanking her.

He found the hall where the party was being held and was stopped by three men at the door.

"This is a private party," one of them said to him as politely as possible.

"I know that," Echizen replied irately and made to go in when the other two held him back. He shoved them away from his person and yelled for Atobe. He didn't feel like fighting which was new for him.

"Sir please…" the first man started to reach for him but was held back by one of the others. He hadn't noticed the party go silent or one of the organizers signal that it was okay to let him in. Neither had Echizen – he strolled into the party and when he caught sight of Atobe, picked up his pace. He stopped about three feet away from the billionaire and the man he'd been conversing with, ignoring all but Atobe.

"Hello Echizen," the billionaire greeted pleasantly, obviously holding back a grin of happiness. "It was a strictly black-tie party, or did no one tell you?"

"Ha ha," the tennis player laughed sarcastically and held out the box he was carrying. "Wedding present – congratulations." Atobe's smile lost some of its luster as he stared at the box, and he didn't reach out for it. "Take it!"

"You won't be at the wedding?" Atobe asked though he knew the answer. The box was shoved in his face so he took it and examined it. His 'friend' hadn't bothered gift-wrapping it though it did have a royal blue bow tied to its grey body. He pried the cover open with one hand and frowned at the yellow tennis ball inside.

"It's autographed," Echizen provided before he could ask its significance. "Would have got you a picture but you have to pay for those."

Atobe chuckled at that – Kaya would kill him if he dared hang a picture of Echizen on the walls of his apartment…soon to be _their_ apartment. He took a sip of his wine and raised his head to find Echizen watching his former teammates. "Thank you"

"Mmm"

Atobe turned to the gentleman he'd been having an enlightening conversation with only to find him gone. Oshitari seemed to have vanished as well.

"This is a crappy party," Echizen observed and stole his glass of wine.

"It's classy."

"It's boring as hell," the golden eyed male returned challengingly. "If it wasn't your party, you'd be enjoying your classy party by yourself."

"Then I guess it's good to be me."

"Let's go over there," Echizen suggested pointing towards the Seigaku huddle.

"Let's not"

"You don't want me to go by myself," he threatened. "Come on!"

"I'm going to regret this," Atobe mumbled to himself as he followed Echizen across the room.

0

"Ochibi!" Eiji screamed and jumped onto the shorter man as he joined their little circle. As Echizen got squeezed by the hyper redhead, Atobe watched wearily wondering if he'd not get killed as well if he stepped in to pry them apart. "How are you?" Eiji asked excitedly finally releasing Echizen only to throw his arm over his shoulder.

"How is married life?" he directed toward Tezuka while shrugging the hyper redhead's body away from his and stepping towards Atobe.

"It's good," Tezuka got out emotionlessly.

"Hmmm? It sucks doesn't it?"

"Echizen!" the billionaire warned from beside him but was ignored.

"So, is your wife as unbearable as Kaya?" Echizen went on nonchalantly, stealing another glass of wine from Atobe. "I don't know why anyone would want to marry that bi-mmr"

"Fuck!" Atobe swore and removed his hand from Echizen's mouth where it had been placed to hold back the insults he knew the man wanted to spew. "You bit me!"

"You put your dirty hand in my mouth!"

"I will have you know that my hand is very clean," Atobe huffed indignantly.

"How many hands have you shaken?"

There was a brief moment of silence before Echizen threw his glass to the floor and took hold of Atobe's lapels.

"You put germs from all these people in my mouth?" he asked -livid.

"It's not that bad," Atobe assured and brushed Echizen's hands off his expensive jacket. "Here's some wine to wash those germs down," he continued as he swiped two glasses from a passing waiter and offered one to Echizen.

"Che," the shorter man scoffed and accepted the glass. "I'm still going to kill you later."

"That's alright," Atobe smiled and turned back to the others around them only to find stunned looks on their faces. "So Tezuka, how is marriage? I was sorry to miss your wedding."

"It was such a lovely-" Fuji started only to be interrupted by his former teammate.

"Liar – if you were as lively as you are right now, it sucked as much as this party does. Nice suits by the way," he complimented and gestured towards the whole group.

"I have to be leaving now – congratulations Atobe."

The group silently watched Tezuka make his way toward the exit before turning back to the obvious cause of his departure.

"Still hates my guts," Echizen mumbled as they all watched Tezuka retreat.

"He probably doesn't hate you –you just make it so difficult to not want to punch you," Fuji voiced with a smile. "And you flushed his tennis career down the toilet."

"How is playing tennis again?" Oishi asked to get them off the dangerous ground the topic was approaching.

"I hate it – everyone is so weak," he complained. "Makes me want to come back and play Atobe all the time again."

"It gets better when you play in more tournaments – you meet all sorts of people," Eiji gushed excitedly.

"It's boring as hell right now."

"Do you have plans to come back?" Atobe asked with a slight frown.

"Not anymore since you're getting married."

00

_Not anymore since you're getting married. _Did that mean that if he didn't get married Echizen would stay? Then again, why say it if he didn't mean it? The phrase kept playing in his head over and over; all through the party which didn't last much longer as Echizen stole him away and in all honesty, it was a boring party so the guests were glad for the excuse to leave.

Back to the phrase though, however he looked at it, Echizen didn't want him to get married. The question was why? He'd probably said it on a whim to mess him up rather than as a suggestion that there might be feelings on his side. It wouldn't do to agonize over it needlessly; instead, he glanced at the younger man who sat in the passenger seat of his car which was still parked outside his apartment block.

"How've you been?" Echizen asked, showing no sign of desiring to go inside.

Atobe started to answer but stopped and run a hand through his hair. "Not too good; why weren't you taking my calls?"

"Didn't feel like it"

"It was the wedding, wasn't it?"

"I just told you I didn't fucking feel like it," Echizen hissed meeting his stare full on.

"Would you please be serious about this?" Atobe snapped. "Why weren't you taking my calls?"

Echizen leaned back into the seat but kept his eyes on Atobe's and the seconds seemed like hours for the billionaire who was waiting for an answer. "Why did you send the invitation?" he finally asked quietly.

"You're my friend and-"

"So why would you send me the fucking invitation?" Echizen interrupted. "You know I didn't want to come for that shit!"

"Why are you being like this?"

"You're such a fucking idiot!" Echizen shouted, opened the door and made to jump out of the car. A strong grip on his upper arm kept him in the passenger seat even though he tugged forcefully.

"I want you to be there – I want you to do that for me."

"Why would I do something like that?" Echizen spat and tried to pull away with even more force.

"You care about me," Atobe rumbled calmly. Echizen's struggling stopped and he turned an incredulous look on the brunet.

"I care?" he parroted with forced amusement

"Yes –you care…because I'm your friend and I don't care whether you try to bash my head in; it will not change my mind." Atobe watched as amusement drained from those big amber eyes and was instead filled with rage.

"I'm only here because I wanted proof that you were finally fixed," Echizen sneered.

"What do you mean by 'fixed'?" the billionaire asked having taken offense

"The only reason I did anything the last two years was so I could finally sleep through the night without having a dream about how pathetic and broken you had become because of me!"

"I wasn't broken," Atobe denied vehemently

"I know you Atobe," Echizen smirked. "I know you better than your friends –the only one who knows you better is your mom but then she'd never tell you that you were all cracked up and shattered." There was a tense pause before he went on. "And instead of fixing it, you swept the pieces into a dark corner and covered the cracks with a blow up of your stupid smile and your useless money."

Atobe was stunned. As Echizen proceeded with his monologue, his voice evened out and one might have missed the anger in the hushed words.

"You were smiling with that bitch on your arm and swallowing all her shit," he continued maliciously. "I don't care if she loves you –she's not good for you; even though she was there, your eyes were dead." A slim hand reached out and touched the mole under Atobe's right eye. "Your eyes that used to burn so arrogantly –they were so beautiful… I wanted them back and got sick of waiting for you to do it yourself." He let his hand drop. "I got sick of the dreams"

"You think you fixed me?" the billionaire asked incredulously. "You had nothing to do with who I am today –I make my choices and even though my affection for you blinds me at the worst times, I do everything for myself."

"I didn't say I fixed you," the tennis player murmured and looked away. "I'm not good for you either."

"But you think there was –there is something wrong with me," Atobe confirmed

"Your eyes are very beautiful right now."

"Then why shouldn't I marry Kaya?" he asked irately. It was difficult to accept such a compliment to his eyes given the circumstances in which it was given.

"Because she's a bitch," the dark haired man spat back

"Don't call her that," Atobe warned

"And also because you don't have the balls to stand up to her shit," Echizen sighed. "You let her have everything she wants –you don't think about yourself when she's concerned and that's my fault too."

"I've stood up to her various times and it had nothing to do with you."

"Bullshit –if it wasn't related to me you're lying and it's my fault that you're even getting married."

"How?" Atobe mouthed

"It's my fault –all of it," Echizen whispered, "if I hadn't killed him…"

"You didn't kill him," Atobe cut in. "It was an accident."

"Even you don't believe that"

"Yes I do," the brunet reassured

"You said you wished you had been the one to 'kill' him," Echizen reminded numbly. "You thought I was lying when I said it was an accident."

"No I didn't"

"You just didn't realize it," he said dispassionately and turned amber eyes on his only friend. "You're like the rest of them."

This time as he left the warmth of the car, Atobe didn't try to hold him back for which he was grateful. He felt so betrayed –_why didn't he deny it?_

"I have always known it was an accident –he was your best friend. I also know that I can fix this," Atobe's voice came from behind him. He hadn't heard the car door. "I can fix anything and you know it. Just tell me what you want."

"Promise," Echizen hoarsely got out.

"I didn't hear that," the gravelly voice came from even closer.

"Promise-" he whispered and turned to study the face that wasn't so clear in the shadows. "Promise that you'll always come first…always."

"That's not so easy –you are so…" Atobe looked conflicted. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

He nodded and almost immediately, lips were pressed against his and a hand was at his neck, tilting his head back. When he felt a wet tongue probing at his lips, Echizen decided he'd had enough and shoved the billionaire away.

"What the fuck was that?" he shouted and rubbed at his lips

"I was just following your orders and putting myself first"

"You're getting married tomorrow," he reminded hotly

"I've wanted to do that for a while," the billionaire said as he approached. "I've heard it's best to get it out of your system before you're married. You should come up –we can have a good soak in the hot tub."

"Are you hitting on me?" Echizen growled

"I don't cheat, remember?"

As he watched Atobe disappear into the entrance of the apartment building, he wondered whether it would be wise to follow. He couldn't risk it; he had to make reservations for a flight back to the US anyway.

Mind made up, he turned away.

000

Atobe walked into his kitchen the next morning and wasn't surprised to find Oshitari already there leaning against the counter by the sink drinking a cup of tea. What did surprise him though was the presence of Shishido who was at the island wolfing down a plate of eggs.

"Good morning Yuushi. Ryou, that way of eating is disgusting." Both men silently watched him make a cup of tea and eventually he asked what they were up to.

"Are you still getting married?" Oshitari asked nonchalantly

"Yes -why?"

"Maybe because you're an hour late?" the bespectacled man suggested. "But forgiving that, there's that-" he pointed at the paper Shishido had just placed on the counter. Even if the headline wasn't in bold red writing, he'd have known what it was about just by the background in the picture.

"What is it?" he asked just to be difficult

"Come on Keigo," Shishido whined, "you're fucking kissing the guy"

"I should probably call mother," he thought aloud and took a sip of his tea.

"Shouldn't you call the bride first?" Shishido asked

"She'll just scream," he predicted

"Where's he?" Oshitari suddenly asked and didn't take the shrug that came in reply well. "You're just going to let him come back and ruin everything?"

"Ruin what exactly?" Atobe inquired curiously

"Your reputation for one"

The billionaire laughed at that so uproariously that the pair worried for him. "Yuushi, you forget that I'm an Atobe –I will do whatever I want to and anyone who has a problem with it can piss off."

"Why can't you swear properly?" Shishido asked irrelevantly

"I need a shower," he declared when his cup was empty and made his way out of the room, pausing at the entrance, "Oh and Yuushi, you're fired."

"What?" the blue haired man gasped in surprise

"Thanks for looking out for me the past four years but I know you were not meant to be a personal assistant –take some time off and I'll be waiting for your resignation." Having said his piece, he left for his shower. He managed to catch Shishido's 'congratulations' to Oshitari

_Maybe I should have drunk coffee instead_


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis**

* * *

"Well this is a surprise," Atobe Midori tinkled into the phone and her son rolled his eyes on the other side.

"Try to sound surprised mother –then it actually sounds true," he advised. "Since you were expecting my call, I can assume you have seen the papers or you were responsible for that article."

"I am sorry to disappoint you this time but that story had nothing to do with me –of course I was made aware of it but you made it clear that you didn't want me to interfere in your life so I didn't." She sounded pleased with herself.

"That is just like you –I should speak with Kaya before she cries herself into a coma," he sighed and prepared to hang up.

"She's already left for the honeymoon," his mother chuckled.

"And why is she on a honeymoon without me?" he asked tiredly

"Well you were out kissing some boy and she was crying on my shoulder so I sent her to the airport with her cousin as a consolation gift of some sort. You should appreciate it -I don't think you would have wanted to deal with her just yet."

"I should thank you then," he smiled. "When can I take you out to lunch?"

"I have no appointments on Thursday." He could tell that she was smiling; probably feeling triumphant over getting Kaya out of the way so she could introduce her own candidate for marriage. "I look forward to it."

"I will pick you up on Thursday at 11:00am," he promised and prepared to hang up

"One more thing Keigo, you did not sleep with that boy did you?"

"No mother," he answered with a cheeky smile, "not yet."

00

"If you stay any longer you will also miss the wedding," Echizen mumbled somberly

"I think Atobe would appreciate it if you made an appearance," the brunette commented as he got up.

"I hate weddings," Echizen said and closed his eyes to get some sleep.

Fuji stared at the man sleeping on the sofa and wondered what had got into him the night before. He had come banging on the door at 2:00am and Yuuta was in the process of slamming the door when Fuji said he'd handle it.

Apparently, Echizen needed a drink but didn't want to drink alone so he'd come to him. At first they sat and looked at each other silently then his guest took two beer cans out of the six-pack he'd brought with him and offered the brunette one.

"Are you okay?" Fuji asked out of concern.

"What do you mean?" the younger man countered.

"You are here drinking with me," he replied dryly. "Not that I do not think it's nice, I just find it strange."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"I guess not," he conceded and theyslipped into another long silence.

"Are you happy Fuji-sempai?" he was asked surprisingly. He didn't have to think on it to answer the question.

"Not really," he smiled.

"Why?"

"It gets so lonely sometimes," Fuji admitted as he rolled the can between his hands. "I envy Tezuka"

Echizen snorted and started on a new beer before he spoke again. "Marriage isn't all that"

"It's better than being alone. I don't even know the last time I was on a date."

"I've never been on a date," Echizen confessed unabashedly. "Can't imagine taking a girl out"

"You had that dinner with Atobe," Fuji reminded only to get a heated glare for it

"That wasn't a date," the dark haired man growled. "Why would I date that stupid monkey king?"

"You act like you are in a relationship –like tonight," said thoughtfully. "You would definitely pass for a couple."

The younger man's face pulled into a fierce scowl. "We were fighting tonight and he's getting married"

"You don't want him to get married, do you?"

"What makes you say that?" his guest asked blankly

"You implied as much at the party tonight." He took a sip of his drink though he didn't appreciate the taste. He wasn't one to drink beer but etiquette dictated that he drink at least a little.

"I don't think she's right for him," the answer finally came when he'd given up on getting one. "Not that it's any of my business but he could do better."

"Would you be better?" he pried. The look of surprise that flashed on the younger man's face piqued his interest.

"I'm not good for him"

"You think you would be better for him though," Fuji surmised. "You are too possessive of him not to think so but at the same time, you're pushing him away 'for his own good'; self-sacrifice is the ultimate proof of love. I think I might envy you." He watched Echizen stare at his hands before amber eyes met his blue.

"You talk too much Fuji-sempai," the dark haired man murmured and continued drinking in silence.

Eventually Fuji left his guest to his thoughts and went to bed. He woke up early and showered and dressed up before checking on Yuuta who wasn't in his room. He was surprised to find Yuuta in the living room talking to Echizen who was laid out on the sofa, slightly drunk.

He greeted them both and went to make breakfast. He was joined by his brother after a few minutes and the troubled look on his face had him sobering up pretty fast.

"What is wrong Yuuta?" he asked worriedly

"Echizen said some weird stuff about you," his brother frowned. "Do you need help getting a girl?"

Fuji laughed at his brother's worried expression and waved him off. "Echizen is revenging for something I told him last night –you don't have to worry about me."

Yuuta reluctantly accepted his explanation and left to get ready for an outing with his friends.

"That was very childish," Fuji chided and sat across from Echizen who was huddled under a blanket that Yuuta must have given him. "Aren't you attending the wedding?" he asked though he had guessed the answer.

"If you stay any longer you will also miss the wedding," Echizen mumbled somberly

"I think Atobe would appreciate it if you made an appearance" He got up and waited for the final reply before he'd go and get ready.

"I hate weddings," Echizen said and shifted under the blanket before he closed his eyes. Fuji stared at his former teammate until he fell asleep. With a sigh, he returned to his room and changed into a suit he'd brought with him for the wedding.

He was just knotting his tie when he got a call from Oishi with some very shocking news.

00

Atobe stared at his laptop screen unseeingly and braced himself for the day ahead. He had hired two assistants to handle the work Oshitari had been doing for him and while they were competent, it wasn't the same as having his best friend there. If the bespectacled man was there at the moment for example, he would be dispensing unhelpful advice on how to deal with his girlfriend who was returning that night.

_Is she still my girlfriend? _He wondered not for the first time at that. There was no reason to ask –he didn't know any women who'd seen a picture of their fiancés kissing a man in the papers on the morning of their wedding and were still dating the man. He didn't think he would ever meet one either.

His cell phone buzzed on his desk bringing him out of his reverie. He knew by the ringtone who was calling and a smile carved his face as he answered.

"You've been avoiding me again," he drawled into the phone. "You know I don't like being ignored"

"What the fuck have you been telling the papers you asshole?" Echizen's tone was loud and angry as his voice filtered across the line. "I can't even attend a fucking tournament without being hounded about you."

"Go out with me," he offered amusedly. "They won't have any questions if we are dating."

"Have you lost your mind?"

"I'm being serious here," Atobe purred. "Let me buy you dinner and then we can see where it takes us."

"If you get those vultures to leave me the fuck alone I will think about it." Atobe kept silent for effect and when he heard the younger man begin to mutter on the other side decided to put him out of his misery.

"How about you give me a definite date when I can take you for dinner and I do something about the lovely reporters," he offered graciously.

"I'm not a chick," an angry growl rumbled in his ear.

"Please calm down Ryoma; I think it is-"

"What the fuck did you call me?" he was rudely interrupted. "Don't call me that you asshole –I am not dating you or sleeping with you or married to you or whatever the fuck it is that would give you the right to use my first name!"

"I would love to be given that privilege and to have you use my first name," he said seriously. "It's probably too soon for that though. I will see what I can do about the reporters. Good night Echizen" He hung up before Echizen could call him a whiny bastard or something to that effect. He sighed heavily and went back to staring at his laptop screen.

0

Tezuka watched sports news on the television as his wife made dinner. He had been married for almost two years and his parents who had been asking for a grandchild were silent now that his wife, Oharu, was finally pregnant. He had thought he could finally enjoy the peace his success had generated but now he had to deal with Echizen.

He hadn't seen his former junior since Atobe's bachelor party five months earlier and yet he saw him almost every day and heard talk of his wins and social life without fail. It unsettled him because he wasn't sure what to feel about the other man; anger and bitterness, or pride. What did you feel towards the person who ripped your dreams from you only to pursue them himself?

He waited for the highlights of the Winston-Salem cup finalsthat Echizen had just won. The discussion between the host and his guests surprisingly started with speculation on the player's relationship with the heir to the Atobe Corporation, Atobe Keigo.

As the show's host discussed the rumors floating around with his co-host, two pictures were displayed on the screen side by side: the picture that had been taken the night of the bachelor party that had them kissing though it was grainy and a more recent picture of Atobe talking to Echizen as they exited a tennis club.

"The pictures are very suggestive," the host summarized. "Back to the Winston-Salem cup finals though, Echizen played a very offensive game as he has been doing this year which is also his first year as a professional player. Sanada-san, after watching such an intense match, what do you think his chances of winning the upcoming US Open are?"

It's at that point that Oharu called him for dinner. After turning the television off, he proceeded into the dining room and put all thoughts of tennis at the back of his mind.

0

"Your hair is getting long," Atobe commented with a glance at the silent man in the passenger seat of his rental. They were parked in the driveway of Echizen's parents' house and so far, Echizen hadn't made a move to get out of the car. "Are you going to talk to me at all today?" His question was greeted with silence as all his attempts at conversation before had. "Do you want me to leave?"

"You said you'd watch me win the Open," Echizen replied in hushed tones.

"I can always watch it from Tokyo since you don't seem to want me to be here," the brunet offered instantly. "Is something bothering you?"

"Are we dating?"

"What made you think that?" Atobe asked cautiously due to the hoarse quality of the younger man's voice.

"My mom asked me today," the tennis pro sighed and leaned back into his seat. "Reporters is one thing but now I'm being interrogated at home. How are you going to fix this one?"

Still treading carefully, Atobe asked what exactly needed to be fixed. That question was met with a disbelieving look.

"Are we dating or not?" he repeated the question.

"We are if you want to be," the billionaire hedged. "You will remember that it was you who called me and I still do not know what you want from this friendship."

"My hair is getting too long isn't it?" the younger man asked while running a hand through the strands. "It gets in the way when I play."

"You could hold it up," the billionaire suggested though he knew the other man would have a problem with the scars showing. "Your mother would get used to them if you cut it short again."

"I'll think about it," he sighed and got out of the car. He was halfway to the door when it opened and his mother appeared on the doorstep. With an internal groan, he turned and shooed the car away but it was too late.

"Please come in and have some tea," she shouted towards the car, her polite speech and the way she shouted clashing.

Echizen shook his head sharply and before he knew it a light slap had connected with the back of his head. The spark of anger he started to experience at the slap was doused by the memory of what his dad had done to him the last time he snapped. He watched with trepidation as Atobe locked the car and joined them.

Echizen sighed dramatically. _I just know I'm going to hate this._


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis**

This has been fun**  
**

* * *

"I'll go make that tea," Rinko chimed and fled the awkward atmosphere in the living room. Echizen continued to glare at Atobe who had sat right beside him on the couch and proceeded to make small talk with his mother. They hadn't found a topic they could discuss at length and had fallen into silence pretty fast.

"Why the fuck didn't you leave?" he hissed as soon as his mother left the room.

"Your mother asked me to come in for tea," the billionaire drawled as he looked around. "There aren't any pictures of you," Atobe commented when he'd taken in the whole room.

"Make an excuse and leave as soon as she gets back," he hissed at the brunette who just smirked at him.

"I don't have anywhere to be so why would I do that?"

"Because," Echizen got out through gritted teeth, "I said so."

"Well I want to have tea"

His mother returned before he could start threatening the guest so he improvised. "Atobe has somewhere to be so-"

"Ryoma," his mother chastised, "stop being rude."

He clenched his fists and stared at the floor as tea was poured and a cup handed over to Atobe. It seemed like minutes passed as he just sat there suppressing his anger.

"If it bothers you that much I will leave."

He looked up and found Atobe frowning with concern. His eyes swiveled round to where his mother was seated but there was no one there.

"She just left," the quiet rumbling drew his attention back to Atobe. "You looked like you might have a tantrum."

"Fuck you," he said without any heat and relaxed back into the chair. They were silent for a while then Atobe stood to his feet to leave. "She was going to ask about back then."

"You don't know that," the brunette argued.

"I know my own mother better than you –she was going to ask and you were going to try and impress her by answering all her fucking questions."

"I wouldn't do that," Atobe said seriously. "I would never betray your trust."

"You will someday"

"No I won't"

"Are you leaving or what?" he asked to change the topic.

"I was considering it until you brought my loyalty into question." Atobe turned to leave but turned back before taking even one step. "You never told me whether we were dating."

"Of course not!" he shrieked in embarrassment.

"Will you go out on a date with me then?" Atobe asked.

This time the shriek came from behind him and Echizen turned in horror to catch his mother standing in the kitchen door with her hands over her mouth. She shook her head as if to say 'don't mind me' and went back into the kitchen.

"Look what you did!" he stood and screamed in accusation. "How are you going to fix that?"

"I don't see anything that needs fixing," Atobe said taking a step toward the angry man. "Everything will be perfect if you say yes."

"Fuck no"

"I know a great restaurant and I know for a fact that you will love it," the billionaire persuaded taking another step closer so they were almost touching. "You always have a great time when we go out so just say 'yes', then say 'fuck anyone who has a problem with it' like you always do, and then let me show you a great time."

"I never say that," Echizen mumbled just to be argumentative. It was true that he had fun when Atobe took him places even though it was usually at the other man's expense. It was also true that he didn't care what people thought as long as they didn't shove stuff in his face and ask him to validate their theories.

"You know you want to say yes," Atobe husked and took the last step so their bodies were touching though his hands remained at his sides.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" Echizen rasped. His mouth had suddenly gone dry and he couldn't explain why.

"I am seducing you"

"Oh" He licked his lips and tried to think of a reason to say no. "Where is this restaurant?"

"It's a surprise"

"Please don't kiss me," he whispered when Atobe's head started drawing closer. He saw the brunette freeze then pull away. Atobe stepped away and he could read the disappointment as he turned away.  
"Where are you going?"

"I don't know yet"

Echizen silently watched his only friend leave. It would have been better if he had stepped away when the brunette had advanced but curiosity had kept him rooted in place. And now he felt rotten.

"Where did Atobe-san go?" his mother asked as she made her way into the room. He didn't even spare her a glance as he went to his room.

000

"And Japan's Echizen Ryoma just barely managed to win the semi-finals here at the US Open which has everyone thinking he will not be able to defeat MickelVladovich in the finals on Saturday…"

Atobe blocked out the presenter's words and thought about Echizen's form during the match instead. There was something wrong –he had been all over the place. It was no wonder winning had been so hard.

They hadn't spoken since the near-kiss at Echizen's; the tennis player hadn't called and he hadn't sought him out. He hadn't attended the last two matches either. He had every intention of attending the finals after which he would return to Japan and come up with 100 reasons why he should stay away from Echizen. He had already thought of the first reason. _He doesn't want me._

00

Echizen tried not to scream as his dad made fun of the semi-finals match for the hundredth time. He was frustrated with himself and his father and he wouldn't be able to sleep with how wired he was. His mother kept darting nervous glances from him to his father over the dinner table but the idiot couldn't take a hint.

"Ryoma, you were really unbelievable –one would think you had never played with how you were swinging and missing every ball." Nanjiroh started laughing at his joke and Ryoma had had it. He pushed away from the table without a word and left his parents alone.

"Now look what you've done," Rinko said disapprovingly

"He'll be fine"

Ryoma slammed the front door as he emerged from the house into the cold night air. He fished his cellphone from his pants pocket and made the call he'd been putting off all week. The phone rang for half a minute before it was picked though all he heard was silence.

"I need to see you"

0

They sat in the rental again. Atobe looked out the window at the night sky while Echizen stared straight ahead.

"You didn't come to see me play," Echizen broke the silence. "It was terrible"

"I watched on the television –you were too tense."

"I didn't mean to mess up"

"You're in the finals," Atobe consoled. "I'm sure you will win." He didn't know why he was trying to comfort Echizen. The words sounded hollow even to his own ears.

"I was talking about what happened on Monday –the kiss." All was silent in the car once more and when it became apparent that Atobe would not say anything, Echizen tried to explain. "You're my only friend and I don't want to mess it up –we could go out on dates and everything but I will never let you fuck me which is what you want so what's the point?"

"Do not insult me," Atobe growled and turned furious blue eyes on Echizen. "You do whatever suits you without a thought to how it affects others –you take pleasure in turning my world upside down then say it is for my own good and when I ask where this relationship might be going, you start spewing bullshit about me only looking for sex."

"That's not what I said," the dark haired man growled back.

"It's what you meant to say." They stared each other down for a while. "If you really think I am only here to try to get into your pants then I am sorry but I do not want to be your friend anymore. And if you were just trying to spare my feelings then don't."

"I don't want to mess it up," Echizen choked. His eyes looked glassy but Atobe made no move to reassure him. "I don't know what to do but I can't lose you –you're my only friend."

"You can always make new friends," Atobe argued. "Friends who you could trust not to only be interested in your body."

"I didn't mean it like that"

"What else could you have meant?" he shot back. "All this time I thought you trusted me to some degree and you thought I would just pounce on you!"

"You're putting words in my mouth," Echizen hissed. "And you did try to pounce on me."

"I was trying to seduce you- you could have just said no." He paused as something occurred to him. "Why can't you just say you don't want me?"

"I-" Echizen faltered. "I don't deserve you"

"Don't lie," the billionaire snapped.

"I'm not lying. I will fuck up your life and you've had enough," Echizen confessed as their eyes met. "I want to say 'yes' but I want to know everything that will happen after I do and I don't want you to become with me how you were with the model."

"I cannot know what will happen in the future"

"I know that"

"I don't know how dating you might change me"

"Then don't change"

"All people change"

"Then I can't say 'yes'"

"Will we at least remain friends?" Atobe asked with a sigh

"You're just giving up?"

"I don't want to make you hate me so I will stop making advances on you. I don't want to ruin our friendship either." He tried to smile but if the look of panic on Echizen's face was any indication, then his smile didn't do its job of reassuring his friend.

"I- I- love you," the dark haired man stuttered, panic written all over his face.

"Don't do this," he pleaded. "I will be fine and we can still go to that restaurant when you win."

"We can go out on a date"

"Echizen no"

"I don't want to mess it up"

Atobe was afraid that he might have to slap the tennis player to stop him panicking but that would probably end badly for him. Instead he decided to do something more rewarding even though it might end just as badly as the slap would. He grabbed Echizen's shoulder and pulled him into a hug over the center console.

"I'll always love you just like I'll always be exactly what you need –whether it's a friend or more so you never have to worry about messing anything up." He felt tremors go through the body he was holding tight to his own and then he heard sniffles. "Please don't cry into my sweater –it's expensive."

"You would make such a terrible boyfriend," Echizen laughed as he pulled away. Drops of moisture clung to his eyelashes and he rubbed them away as he continued to laugh.

"My boyfriend would get special consideration," he smiled back.

"What food do they serve at this restaurant?" Echizen asked, completely back to normal again.

"It's a surprise," Atobe teased and prayed that the pain of rejection wouldn't overwhelm him before he left for Japan. He didn't want Echizen to see him like that.

000

5 Years Later

000

Echizen groaned and turned over in bed, pulling the covers up over his body even though he knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. The bed shifted again as his bedmate got back into bed.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he hissed when the other kept shifting about the bed.

"It hurts," came the whiny reply

"You're the one who wanted to have sex so suck it up and go to sleep," he growled and buried himself deeper in the covers. It wasn't his fault that it hurt the other man. Fine, it was his fault but he didn't exactly know anything about sex and his partner had been clueless about sex between men though up until the actual insertion, he'd been fine.

The silence between them was strained and Echizen felt even guiltier when Atobe remained in one position though it must have been uncomfortable. With a huff, he threw off the covers and turned on the bedside light and faced the whiny billionaire.

"Get over here," he ordered the brunette who lay with his back to him. When the brunette showed no signs of complying, Echizen got out of bed and went to the bathroom. It did not take long for him to locate a bottle of oil and return to the bed. He shoved Atobe so he lay on his stomach and straddled his thighs.

"What are you doing," the billionaire asked with a hint of panic in his voice. "I'm still sore so you can't pu-"

"I'm just giving you a massage," he reassured and poured the oil onto the toned back and rubbing it in. It didn't take long to get Atobe to relax and begin murmuring appreciatively at the attention his back was getting. "Feel good?"

"Yeah thanks."

"Maybe we shouldn't have sex again," he suggested though he could guess what the brunette's answer to that would be.

"I won't be so sore next time."

"Why is the sex so important to you anyway?"

"It's one way of bonding and you can't pretend it wasn't enjoyable," Atobe mumbled

"I could hardly keep it up with you crying like that," he admitted bluntly

"I wasn't crying"

"There were tears and you were making pained noises –that counts as crying."

"It'll be better next time," the brunette promised. "You'll be amazed at my performance"

"Whatever you say," Echizen dismissed. "Just don't expect a back rub after you're 'amazing performance'."

"I love you," Atobe whispered which prompted Echizen to get off him and slide into his side of the bed.

"I guess that did its job," he said dryly as he turned off the light. "Go to sleep."

Echizen lay awake until he heard Atobe's breathing even out then he turned the light back on and turned to watch his boyfriend sleep. He had made the leap when tennis got boring and he left that world just like his father had done so many years before.

His mother had been worried but his father had placated her. 'It was bound to happen' he had said. Atobe had been overjoyed at his decision to return to Japan though he'd had no idea that the tennis champion had decided to take their relationship a step further. Making the decision had been easy enough –it was the natural step to take. Being affectionate with his boyfriend however, was not.

He leaned in and brushed the hair away from Atobe's brow and traced his facial features. The brunette sleepily batted his hand away and settled down to sleep again.

They had been going out for a little over five months when Atobe had brought up the sex-talk. Echizen had claimed it was too soon and the billionaire had asked him to move in instead. That had been easy enough until he realized that he'd be around the man a lot more and would find it harder to resist his slow and meticulous seduction.

After two months, he'd finally let himself be talked into it. Atobe had explained everything like he'd sat in a class and taken notes on the topic. Of course the real thing had been a lot messier and much more painful than they had expected. Still, Atobe would try it again and again until they both got pleasure out of it – or at least that's what Echizen thought his goal was.

_Stupid man_

00

He sat on a stool drinking tea and trying to ignore the pain in his butt. It was so uncomfortable but he would do it again just to feel that connection with Echizen. Not so soon though

"You should stay home and heal up," his boyfriend advised and took a stool across from him.

"There's a meeting I have to attend"

"You haven't taken a day off in a while," the younger man persuaded

"It's an important meeting," he explained

"If you stay home, I will rub oil on it"

That was it. How was he supposed to fight back when Echizen wasn't fighting fair?

"I will rub oil into your whole body," his boyfriend and now lover promised with an evil smile. "Everywhere"

Within ten minutes, he had called in sick and was back in bed waiting for his full body massage.

"Can I at least have breakfast first?" Echizen's voice floated in from the door.

"No. Come rub me down"

"That doesn't sound right," the younger man complained as he joined him on the bed. "Hey," he whispered, gaining Atobe's full attention. "I know I don't say it but you know I do right?"

"Of course I do," he replied with a soft smile. The one time Echizen had said it had been enough for him. He didn't say it to draw a response from his boyfriend –he said it so the other would never forget how much he loved him.


End file.
